


The Cost of Protection

by samlapiana



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 31
Words: 31,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samlapiana/pseuds/samlapiana
Summary: Pain, bruises, and cover-up.You had come to accept that this was now your life. He was cruel, but you had to stay with him. It was the only choice. That is, until you meet the green-eyed stranger that refuses to let it go...You have protected others for a long time. Can you learn to be the one to be protected? Can you trust two strangers that say they won't let anything bad happen?





	1. Chapter 1

You looked in the mirror that was behind the bar at yourself. Luckily, strangers probably couldn't make out the bruise around your eye. You had become quite good at hiding bruises with makeup. You knew it was there, though. Just like you knew there were bruises under your long sleeves that matched up perfectly with fingers on a big hand that wasn't yours. They matched the ones on your hips, stomach, and legs.

You looked down at the small Jack and Coke you'd been nursing for an hour, your y/h/c hair falling over your eyes. You closed your eyes and pushed the thoughts away with an exhale, wanting to enjoy your rare alone time. Someone behind you cleared their throat, and you looked back up at the mirror to see a tall, very handsome man standing behind you. He had short brown hair and sparkling green eyes. He lifted his mouth in a half-smile when you made eye contact with him.

"This seat taken?" He asked, gesturing to the stool to your right.

You shook your head slightly, not wanting to deny the man a seat, but also not wanting to give the poor guy any false hope. He sat down silently, clearly trying to play it cool. You glanced at him out of the side of your eyes. He was wearing a suit that looked to be a few years old. His tie was loosened, and he took off his jacket, laying it on the chair behind him. He unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves, revealing strong forearms. You trained your eyes back on your drink, using the small straw to stir the half-melted ice around.

You could feel the man's eyes on you. Finally, you turned your head toward him slowly, an amused look on your face. "Can I help you?" You asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Well, I was just trying to see if I could guess what your drink is and then maybe freshen it up for you," the man said, narrowing his eyes at your glass.

"Any leads so far?" You asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, obviously the color gives away the Coke. The real question is: Rum or Jack?" He said, still looking at your drink.

"I see. And which do you think I picked?"

The man turned to you and lightly licked his lips. You felt your heart flutter a little at the movement. He smiled big. "Definitely Jack."

You smiled a little. "Very impressive."

"So how about I get you another?" He asked, turning his body completely toward you on the stool.

"Hmm, that sounds nice, but I actually think you should be leaving," you said, looking back at your drink and playing with the straw again.

"Because you aren't interested, or because you're meeting someone else here?" He asked, not ready to give up.

You turned your eyes to him. "Neither," you said, being noncommittal.

He furrowed his brow, confused. "So then why would I want to leave a pretty girl like you sitting at this bar alone?"

You didn't want to give the real answer to anyone, let alone a stranger. You give him an amused look again. "Does this sort of thing usually work for you--?"

"Dean. And yes actually, it does."

"Huh. Well sorry, Dean, but I'm not quite as easy a target," you said, reaching back for your purse that was hanging on your stool to pay your tab.

Dean placed his hand on yours. "I've got it, darlin'," he said, looking you in the eyes. You felt your heart flutter again. "And I never caught your name."

"It's--"

"Y/N!" You heard from behind you.

You froze, realizing Dean's hand was still on yours. You turned around, and _he_ was marching up behind you, anger written all over his face. He reached you and took your arm. "It's time to go now, honey," he said, his grasp painfully tight. You pursed your lips to keep from whimpering in pain.

"Jeff?" Dean asked.

Jeff looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. You saw recognition in them after a moment.

"Well if it isn't Dean Winchester. How you been, man?" Jeff asked, letting go of your arm to shake Dean's hand. You felt it throb a bit and could tell it was already turning red under your sleeves. The fact that Jeff knew Dean could be either good or bad for you. _Maybe Jeff won't be mad that you were talking to another guy if he knows him. Or maybe that makes it worse._

"I've been good, just fightin' the good fight, ya know? Sammy's here, too. He's over talking to that blonde," Dean said, gesturing to a booth at the back of the room.

"Nice. So what're you guys doing all the way in New Mexico?" Jeff asked. "Not usually your territory, is it?"

"No, it's not. But Garth gave us a call and said there was a big ol' pack of wolves running together out here and thought the local hunters could use some help," Dean replied, his eyes darting from Jeff to you.

Jeff pulled you behind him--roughly, but not so rough that Dean would see it.

"Alright. Well I'm not gonna lie, I could use the help. What'dya say we work together?" Jeff asked.

Dean eyed Jeff warily. "Sounds good. Let's meet up in the morning."

Dean started to back away. "It was nice to meet you...Y/N."

You looked at him, a small smile on your face that didn't reach your eyes. You watched as Dean went up to an extremely tall man--Sammy, you assumed--and they left together.

You were surprised when you heard that Dean and his brother were also hunters. You vaguely remember hearing the name "Winchester." You were pretty sure they were hunting big-wigs.

You were facing the door until Jeff roughly turned you around, pulling you to him. "Let's go home, shall we?" He whispered in your ear, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Smack_!

You fell to the floor, your face burning.

"Don't you ever embarrass me like that again! Not only were you flirting with someone other than me, but you were flirting with a colleague of mine, who must think I'm with some kinda whore now!" Jeff said, fuming. You knew this would be the outcome when he saw you with Dean. Jeff wasn't even supposed to be at the bar. He was out with some friends and said he would text you when he was done and was outside to pick you up. He was apparently done early.

"I promise, I--I wasn't flirting with him. He just sat down and started talking to me." You said, slowly getting up from the floor.

"Don't lie to me, Y/N. I saw him touching you." He punched you in the gut, causing you to double over in pain. He grabbed your hair and pulled so your head was craned up, involuntary tears running down your cheeks.

"Don't you dare forget how this works. You are mine. If you try to leave, or go around flirting with other men, you and your family _will_ pay." With that Jeff let go of you and you fell to the ground in a heap. He stepped over you and left. You heard the door of his truck slam and his tires squeal. He was most likely off to the bar.

_How is this my life?_ You asked yourself for the millionth time. You hadn't wanted things to turn out this way. When you met Jeff, he was sweet. You and your family were having a bit of trouble with some vengeful spirits living in the house your parents moved into. He helped you and got rid of them all. Soon after, he asked you on a date. You had no reason to say no to the man who saved you and your family.

You should have said no.

Jeff was sweet for a few months, then became possessive of you. He wouldn't let you see your friends, and you soon lost them all. Then the threats began. You wanted to leave, but he said he'd kill your family. You had no choice but to believe him. He was a ruthless hunter. He certainly had the skill to do it. So you stayed, and pretty soon the beating started. You had no choice. You loved your family too much to let anything happen to them.

Your older sister, Sarah, had tried getting in contact with you so many times. She and her husband lived only twenty minutes from you with their two--soon to be three--daughters. You missed your nieces so much it hurt, but you knew if you saw them it would only make things worse.

Your parents lived down the street from Sarah. They too had reached out many times, but it was no use. They were so good to you, and seeing them would only bring them harm.

You lived in Jeff's house--you couldn't call it yours--which was a small two-bedroom ranch. You got up off the floor and headed to the kitchen. You got some ice from the freezer and put it in a bag to help the swelling on your face go down. You sat down at the table, still trying to catch your breath.

This wasn't who you wanted to be. You felt weak and useless. The old you would never have taken this shit. But, your family was your weakness. Jeff figured that out really fast and took advantage.

You had gone to college and were a history major. You had dreams of becoming a high school world history teacher, which were dashed as soon as you met Jeff. He used you for research on cases, taking advantage of your knowledge and skill to do all the legwork for him. You had only been on a handful of actual hunts, Jeff preferring to do all the "hero" work himself.

You heard a shrill ringing and you nearly jumped out of your skin. You held your hand to your heart, trying to slow your breathing. You saw that it was Jeff's phone that was ringing on the kitchen counter. _He must have forgotten it_.

You eased yourself out of the chair and looked at the caller ID. _Dean Winchester_.

You didn't know what drove you to do it--if Jeff found out you answered his phone he'd be furious--but you picked it up, sliding the bar to answer.

"H-Hello?"

There was a pause. "Hello?" A deep voice asked.

"Dean? It's Y/N. Jeff isn't here right now," you said in a monotone voice.

"Oh, hi Y/N. I was just calling to ask when he wanted to meet tomorrow. Do you think you could tell him to meet us at the Paradise Cafe at 10:00?"

"Uh...I--uh, no. C-could you call back in the morning when he's home?" You didn't want to tell Dean that you weren't supposed to answer the phone, because that obviously sounded ridiculous, and you found yourself caring what he thought for some reason.

"Oh, uh, sure, I can call back tomorrow...Y/N, are you okay? You sound kinda off," Dean asked, concern in his voice.

Your heart sped up. You thought you were better at hiding this. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just call tomorrow, okay?"

Another pause. "Okay...goodnight, Y/N," Dean said in a soft voice.

You hung up the phone. You knew if Jeff saw that Dean had called he would know that you answered. You deleted the call from the log in his phone and set it back down exactly as you found it.

You squeezed your eyes closed and picked up your bag of ice. You went to the room you shared with Jeff and got into bed, keeping the ice on your face. You closed your eyes, willing yourself to go to sleep. You didn't know if Jeff would take you to meet with the Winchesters the next day, but you found yourself hoping you'd get to see those beautiful green eyes again.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Dean

The call was disconnected. You had hung up without saying goodbye. Dean furrowed his brow, confused by the conversation he had with you. _Why couldn't Y/N just tell Jeff where we want to meet?_ Then there was the way your voice sounded: weak and sad. Dean felt a pit in his stomach and he was unsure of why. He had only just met you. Dean leaned back against the headboard of the motel bed and sighed.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked from the small table on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's fine. We just gotta call Jeff in the morning."

"Alright, well, I think I'm gonna hit the hay," Sam said, getting up from the table and stretching his long arms.

"Yeah, me too." Dean scooted down under the covers and rolled over to his stomach. He drifted off, images of your face clouding his thoughts.

\--------------

Dean sipped his black coffee, still not completely awake from the crappy night of sleep he had. He had tossed and turned--not dreaming--but never reaching that deep sleep he usually needed at least an hour or so of to function. Sam sat across from him, drinking his own coffee and working on his laptop. They were at a small coffee shop called the Paradise Cafe, complete with plastic palm trees and parrots painted on the walls. Dean rolled his eyes at the decor.

"What time is it? Shouldn't he be here by now?" He asked, feeling impatient.

"Dude, it's 10:02," Sam said.

"Ugh," Dean replied.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothin'. Just tired," Dean said, rubbing his eyes.

The small bell above the entrance jingled, and Dean saw Jeff walking into the cafe. He stood up to motion to him, and saw that you were behind him, looking timid. Dean was confused. When he had met you at the bar, you were anything but timid. Why were you so different around Jeff?

"Hey, man, thanks for coming," Sam said, standing up to shake Jeff's hand.

"Yeah, no problem. You guys could have called last night and let me know sooner, though," Jeff replied, sounding annoyed.

Dean looked at you, confused. Your eyes were wide with panic.

"Oh, uh, yeah, that would have been smart. I must have had too much to drink last night," Dean said quickly to cover. A look of relief crossed your face before it turned back to your passive mask.

"Alright, well let's get started. I say us boys go into town and do some interviewing. Werewolves don't usually travel in a pack like this, so we'll need all the info we can get. Y/N here can stay and do research, can't ya?" Jeff said, pulling you forward.

"Sure, no problem," you said in a monotone voice. Dean felt that pit in his stomach again. Any fool could see that something wasn't right here. He decided to try to see what he could find out about your relationship with Jeff. Sam looked at Dean, clearly thinking the same thing.

"How about you and I go, Jeff, and Sammy can stay here with Y/N to help with research. He's a big nerd so he's pretty good at it too," Dean said.

Jeff narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Alright." He turned to you and pulled you aside, a little too roughly for Dean's liking. He was whispering something to you, and your face was still that blank mask.

"Okay, man, let's go," Jeff said, clapping Dean on the shoulder. Dean nodded and headed to the exit with Jeff. He looked back and saw you and Sam sitting down at the table. He hoped Sam could get you to talk. If not, at least he knew you'd be safe with his brother.

\--------------

You

"You better not do any flirting with the other Winchester brother, you slut. You do, and you're in for it when we get home."

Jeff had whispered this to you right before he left. You had become accustomed to his threats and name-calling. You just nodded and turned to the table Sam was standing near.

You sighed in relief when you sat down with Sam. You began taking out your laptop you had brought and opened up your search engine. You realized Sam hadn't moved since he sat down and looked up to see him looking at you.

"Sorry, it's just that we haven't officially met. I'm Sam," he said, holding out his hand.

You took it and firmly shook it. "Y/N," you said, a small smile on your face.

"Nice to meet you," he said, smiling back. He had long brown hair, and hazel eyes--the kind that had brown on the outside and green on the inside. The same beautiful green his brother had. You didn't know what it was, but you already felt pretty comfortable with Sam. You felt safe.

"So, where are you from?" Sam asked, looking at his computer and clicking around.

"About twenty minutes from here, actually. My family still lives pretty close," you replied.

"Well that's gotta be nice. Means you can see them whenever you want."

You felt sadness cover your heart at his words. _If only_ , you thought. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So...Jeff. How'd you two meet?" Sam asked. The last thing you wanted to do was talk about Jeff, but you also didn't want to seem like a weirdo by avoiding talking about your boyfriend.

"Uh, he helped my family a while back with a vengeful spirit." You said, not wanting the conversation to continue any more.

Sam nodded and went back to looking at his computer. You breathed a quiet sigh of relief that he didn't ask you anything else about Jeff.

You began searching on your computer: when the first killings started happening, disappearances, and the like. You and Sam fell into a comfortable silence, only speaking when you were sharing information.

"Hey, look at this: Looks like this guy Randy Smith went missing around the time the killings started. Soon after three other people went missing and the killings increased. Think this could be the guy that started our pack?" Sam asked.

"I think you're definitely on to something." You looked at Sam's cup, which was now empty. "Hey, I'm gonna go refill our coffees." You reached over to get Sam's mug and your sleeve rode up a bit, revealing the hand-shaped bruise Jeff left on you last night. Sam grabbed your wrist softly.

"Hey, how did you get this?" He asked, concern in his puppy-dog eyes. You panicked a little, not wanting Sam to make a scene.

"Oh, I'm just super clumsy. Running into everything, you know?" You tried to laugh it off.

"Well, Y/N, that might be believable if these bruises weren't in the shape of hand." Sam said, not ready to let up.

You looked at him, tears forming a bit in your eyes. You knew you couldn't fool him. Sam was smart.

"What do you want me to say, Sam? It's complicated. Please--just let it go, okay?" Sam looked at you, still concerned, but let go of your wrist. You knew he wasn't done talking about this, but he would let it go for now.

You took your mugs to the counter and ordered yourself a latte. You decided to prank Sam. You knew he probably liked plain coffee, so you found the sweetest thing on the menu and ordered it for him. You brought it back to the table and sat down. Then, you waited.

You watched as Sam took a sip of his coffee, not looking up from his computer. The second he drank it he sputtered, his eyes wide.

"What the hell is this?" He asked, coughing.

You laughed out loud, and Sam narrowed his eyes at you. "I'm sorry," you said between laughs, "I couldn't help myself. You should have seen your face!"

Sam rolled his eyes and laughed along with you. "Okay, you got me. But you should know: this means war," he said, pretending to glare at you. You chuckled. You knew that under different circumstances, you and Sam would likely be best friends. _At least I'll get to hang out with him during this hunt._

  
\------------------------

Dean

As Dean walked back into the cafe after doing multiple interviews with the victims' families with Jeff, he saw you laughing. It almost took his breath away. You were beautiful, which he already knew. But when you laughed? _Unbelievable_.

The second you saw Jeff you stopped laughing and your smile faded. Dean wasn't surprised. He had only spent a few hours with Jeff and it was clear he was a jerk. He shook his head. _That dick better not being crossing any lines with Y/N._..

"Hey, guys," Dean said, walking up behind Sam.

"Hey, how did it go?" Sam asked.

"Eh. We didn't get as much information as I'd like." Dean replied.

"Y/N, you ready to go home?" Jeff asked. You nodded, no expression on your face. You silently got up. Dean kept his eyes on you as you grabbed your laptop.

"Thanks for helping with the research, Sam," you said with a smile.

"No problem. Call if you need anything," Sam replied. Dean knew there was a deeper meaning in that statement, and he would definitely be asking Sam as soon as they were alone.

"We'll see you boys tomorrow," Jeff said, putting his arm around you and pulling you towards the door. You glanced over your shoulder at Dean, a look he could only describe as regret in your eyes.

"Dude, we gotta talk about Y/N," Sam said.

"Yes. Let's go to the car," Dean replied, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

A few minutes later they were sitting in the Impala. "So?" Dean said, waiting for Sam to talk.

"Man...I think Jeff is not a good guy," Sam said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, he's a dick. Took two seconds with him to figure that out," Dean said, rolling his eyes at the memory of how Jeff flirted with the all women he interviewed.

"Well, I think it's worse than that. Y/N reached over at one point and her sleeve rode up. Her arm's covered in bruises, Dean. Bruises that clearly came from a man's tight grip."

Dean felt anger rising up in the back of his throat like bile. He didn't want to believe that was true. "Maybe they like to get kinky in bed or something," he said, barely containing his anger.

"Doubt it. I asked her about it and she tried some excuse about being clumsy. I pushed, and she basically said it was complicated and that I should let it go. She knows I know, Dean."

Dean sighed deeply and bent his head, running his hands through his hair. "It just doesn't make sense, Sammy. When I talked to her at the bar, she seemed so independent and strong. How could she be with a jerk like that?"

"I don't know. When we were alone today, we actually had a lot of fun. She even pranked me."

"Pranked you? How?" Dean asked, an amused look on his face.

"Filled my mug with some froofy-frappy-barely-any-coffee crap. I nearly choked. She laughed so hard, I thought she might fall out of her chair. She was like that for most of the day. Nothing like how timid she is when Jeff's around."

Dean smiled and shook his head. He was glad you were able to have fun with Sammy today. He thought about Jeff and felt the anger return. If that douche was really putting his hands on you...he shook his head again. He wondered why it bothered him so much. He was bothered by any man who put his hands on a woman, but this was something more. It was almost like the thought of your beautiful smile going to waste made him even more upset.

"I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on things during this hunt. We don't want to make things worse for her, you know?" Sam said.

"Yeah, I guess, Sammy," Dean replied. He just hoped waiting didn't also make things worse for you.


	4. Chapter 4

You

When you got back to the house, you headed straight to the kitchen to start making dinner. Jeff didn't like having to ask, so you just did it automatically now. You were rummaging in the fridge for the ingredients to make a nice pasta sauce. You grabbed your tomatoes and turned around to put them down on the counter, but found that Jeff was standing right behind you. Startled, you dropped the tomatoes and placed a hand to your chest.

"God, Jeff, you scared me." You said. Jeff's face stayed blank, his eyes roaming up and down your body.

"You know, I saw you laughing with Sam when we got back to the cafe," he said, his voice level. You felt a pit grow in your stomach. You had a feeling you knew where this was going.

"Y-yeah, Sam is nice. We really just spent the whole time researching, though," you said, trying to remain calm.

"Researching? What, do you think I'm a fucking idiot?" Jeff asked, his voice raising.

"W-What do you mean? Of course not!"

"I'll bet you came on to him, didn't you? You probably couldn't keep your slutty little hands to yourself!" Jeff yelled, little bits of spit flying from his mouth.

"J-Jeff, of course not. I would never--" you were stopped as Jeff backhanded you across the face. You stumbled a bit, your face burning. You immediately knew makeup wouldn't do the trick on this one.

"Maybe I oughta remind you who you belong to," Jeff snarled, coming up behind you and grabbing you by the hair. You were being dragged backwards, trying to keep up so he wouldn't pull all your hair out. He pulled you all the way to the bedroom, where he threw you down on the bed.

"Jeff, please, I'm sorry!" You pleaded, desperate to make him stop. He ignored you, pulling his belt from its loops and holding it in his hands.

"Get naked. Now," he said, still standing at the foot of the bed. You had no choice but to listen. You undressed, tears welling in your eyes.

"Now turn over," he said. Jeff had forced himself on you before, many times, but nothing could prepare you for what he was about to do. You turned over, fearing it would be worse if you disobeyed.

The first swat of the belt landed, and at first you felt nothing. Then, searing pain set in, and you knew the skin was broken. You let out a scream, and then he was on you, covering your mouth with his hand.

"Don't you dare fucking scream," he said in your ear. The tears continued down your face as he got up and started in again. You lost count of the lashes. You felt yourself fading in and out of consciousness from the pain. All you could do was lay there. When he finished with the belt, he was on top of you. He shoved himself painfully inside of you. When he was done, you heard him leave again, the sound of his truck screeching out of the driveway unmistakable.

You didn't know how long you laid there, unable to move. When you finally got up, the pain was excruciating. You did your best cleaning the wounds, which had left welts and giant lesions up and down your back. You turned on a cold shower, hands shaking as you used the walls for support. You hissed as the water hit your back, causing the pain to increase. When you were done you lightly patted your back dry, the towel coming back covered in blood. You put gauze on as much of your back as you could reach, then laid in bed on your stomach.

You closed your eyes, angry with yourself for allowing this to happen. You knew Jeff was sick, but this took it to a whole new level. You pictured your family, and reminded yourself that this was for their safety. You didn't know how you were going to function on the hunt the next day, but you knew you'd have to do your best to pretend nothing happened.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Dean

Dean pulled up to a farmhouse located on the edge of town. He stayed down the long driveway so as to not attract attention. Jeff pulled up behind the Impala shortly after, you sitting in the passenger seat. Everyone got out of the car, and Dean gasped when he saw you.

You had a big purple and yellow bruise on the side of your face. Dean knew immediately where that came from, and he was fuming. He looked at Sam who had the same expression Dean was sure he was wearing as well. He looked back at you. You were slightly shaking your head, pleading in your eyes.

Dean looked back at Sam, who also shook his head slightly. He tried to keep the anger subdued for the moment.

"Hey, boys. Ready to do this?" Jeff asked.

Dean just looked back and forth from you to Jeff.

"Oh, Y/N here is such a klutz. Would you believe she ran right into an open cabinet door?" Jeff said.

"No, I can't believe it," Dean replied through gritted teeth. You shot Dean a warning look. He decided to let it go for now, mentally telling himself to pull you aside later.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" You said. Everyone nodded and started for the driveway.

"So, we agree, we go in, guns blazing, and try to drop them all in one fell swoop?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, I don't know that there's any other way to do it. We'll just have to take out as many as we can and get out if it gets to be too much," Sam replied.

"Sounds good." Jeff said.

When you got to the house, you all silently split up, each person taking a separate entrance. The plan was to go in when you heard the first gunshot which would come from Dean.

Dean creaked open the front door, and found himself in an empty hallway. Less than two seconds after entering, a werewolf jumped out from a doorway, fangs bared. Dean immediately shot it with the gun filled with silver bullets he already had at the ready, and it dropped to the ground. Dean had hit it right in the heart on the first shot. Soon after, he heard shots ringing out from all other sides of the house.

Dean stepped over the werewolf's body and continued into the house to help. He found Sam, who had cleared the right side of the house. Jeff had also cleared the left, and the three of them headed to the back where you were supposed to be. When they came to the kitchen that was at the back of the house, they saw you getting up from the ground, gun in hand. There were three wolves around you, dead. Dean was impressed that you had done that on your own.

"Good job, everyone. Looks like we got them all," Sam said, slipping his gun into his waistband.

Dean walked up to you, wanting to make sure you were okay since you looked a little pale. Jeff was cleaning off his gun, unconcerned.

"You okay, Y/N?" Dean asked.

"Y-Yeah, just a little lightheaded," you said. You turned around as if to hide your face. The second you did, your knees gave out. Dean reached out and caught you trust-fall style.

"Y/N? Y/N?" He said, trying to see if you were conscious. You shook your head a little, as if trying to clear it.

"I'm fine, just help me stand up, please." Dean helped you stand. He looked at Jeff as he did who was just standing there, not even pretending to care. Sam had come over, reaching his hands out at the ready to help if needed.

When you were standing okay on your own, Dean looked down at his arms and torso, which were spotted with blood. He didn't feel pain anywhere and knew it wasn't from any wounds he had. He looked at Sam, who looked just as confused. Dean then turned to you, and saw panic in your eyes.

"Y/N, did you get hurt? Did one of the wolves hurt you?" Dean asked, walking toward you.

"Oh, y-yeah, one must have nicked me. I'll be fine. It's just a scratch," you responded. Dean didn't believe that for a second. He walked over to you and lifted the back of your shirt, revealing numerous slashes that were across your back. It was clear that no werewolf had done this to you. He turned you around and looked deep in your eyes. They were pleading with him not to say anything. _No way in hell._

Dean was seeing red, and before he knew it, Jeff was underneath him, Dean's fists colliding with his face.

\-----------------

  
You

_This can't be happening._

You stood and watched as Dean beat the shit out of Jeff. You heard all kinds of crunching sounds coming from Jeff's body. You didn't know what to do. You started toward them, wanting to stop it. Jeff would blame you for this, and then your family would suffer as a result.

Two strong hands grabbed your arms, stopping you from moving forward. You looked behind you to see Sam holding on to you, watching the fight unfold with a cold look in his eyes.

"Dean, you have to stop! Dean, please!" You pleaded.

Dean hesitated, then stopped, pulling himself up off of Jeff's unconscious body. He turned to you. "That asshole is never touching you again," he said, his face serious.

You felt the tears running down your face. On one hand, you were glad Dean had beat Jeff. The dick had deserved it. On the other, you were terrified for your family.

"D-Dean, you don't understand--"

"I _understand_ that you're coming home with us. End of discussion." With that, Dean headed out the door toward the driveway. Sam gave you a sympathetic look before wrapping his arm lightly around you to help you walk to the car. You let him. You knew you didn't have any other options. You would just have to explain to them later why you have to go back to Jeff--why you could never leave him.

 


	6. Chapter 6

You sat silently in the backseat of Dean's '67 Chevy Impala. The only thing you could think of was the danger your family was in. A few tears rolled down your cheeks, and you turned your face to the window to try to hide them. Dean cleared his throat and you wiped your tears before turning to look at him in the rear view mirror. You knew he had seen you crying.

"So, Y/N, we're taking you back to Kansas with us. We have a place that we sort of inherited and it has plenty of room for you to stay with us," Dean explained.

You just nodded and turned back to the window.

Dean sighed loudly and the next thing you knew he was pulling off on the side of the road. You were in the middle of nowhere, so there was no one around to try to stop and talk to you. Dean put the car in park and turned around to look at you.

"Okay, darlin', I gotta ask. Why are you so upset over that jerk? You seem like a smart girl. Why were you with him in the first place?" Dean asked. You looked at Sam, who was also waiting for the answer to Dean's question, a furrow in his brow.

You closed your eyes and sighed deeply. You had known you would have to tell them eventually.

"I don't give a fuck about Jeff. I never even loved him," you explained, shaking your head. "He acted normal when he came into my life. I dated him, and we were just a regular couple. Then he started showing his true colors. He became possessive and alienated me from my family and friends. Then he started threatening me. He said if I left him he would kill my family. After seeing what he can do, I don't doubt that he would. That's why I never left. I can't let him hurt them."

"Why didn't you ask someone for help?" Sam asked.

"Ask who? It's not like I knew any other hunters. And what would I do, go to the police? They'd think I was insane. There was no way out."

"Well, I guarantee you he won't be killing anyone anytime soon. He should be laid up for a while," Dean said.

"Yeah, well, somehow that doesn't make me feel better," you replied.

"Y/N, we'll figure this out, okay? You've got me and Dean now. We won't let him hurt you or your family ever again." Sam said, reaching for your hand. You placed it in his, which made yours look like a child's. Tears welled up in your eyes again. You felt like it was too good to be true, like you'd wake up and be sleeping next to Jeff.

"Thank you," you said.

"You don't have to thank us, sweetheart." Dean said, smiling lightly. You felt your heart speed up a bit at his smile.

"Why don't you try and get some rest, and when we get home we'll take a look at your wounds," Sam said.

When you thought about it, you felt the exhaustion of the hell that had been your life for the past few years. Your back was throbbing, and your eyes started to droop. You tried to find a comfortable position that didn't put your back in contact with the seat too much. When you finally did, you drifted off to sleep, feeling safer than you had in a long time.

\----------------

"Rise and shine, darlin'."

You opened your eyes and saw that Dean was leaning over you, reaching out his hand.

"Are we there?" You asked, sleep still in your voice.

"Yep. Come on, up you get," he said, reaching for your hand. You flinched involuntarily and a pained look crossed his face. He gently pulled you up, and you hissed in pain, your back burning. Once you were standing, you leaned into Dean, too weak to stand on your own. He wrapped his arms around you lightly.

"I got you, sweetheart," he said, walking you towards a door that you assumed led inside. You looked around, and saw that you were in a huge garage with at least ten old cars. When Dean opened the door, you looked ahead of you and saw a long hallway. It had beautiful tile floors and sconces lining the walls. It looked very old, but well-preserved. Dean led you down the hallway and into one of the rooms off to the side, where Sam had covered a metal table with a sheet.

"I know it's not ideal, but this will have to work for me to look at your back," Sam said, cringing a little. You gave him a half-smile.

"Thanks, Sam. It's fine, really. And you don't even have to do this. I'm sure it will be fine," you replied.

"No, no, no, you're gonna lay on that table and Sammy's gonna see what we can do about your back," Dean said, shaking his head.

"Okay, fine." You attempted to get up on the table, but every time you did you had an instant shot of pain. Before you knew what was happening, Dean grabbed you by the waist and lifted you to sit on the table. You gave him a small smile in thanks and turned to lay on your stomach.

"Okay, Y/N, I'm gonna have to cut your shirt," Sam said. "I think that's gonna be the easiest way to do this," he added, almost to himself.

You heard the sound of your shirt being cut, and felt the cool air hit your wounds. You glanced at Dean, who was looking at your back with an angry glare on his face.

"That son-of-a-bitch. How did he even do this?" He said.

"With a belt," you said matter-of-factly. "He thought I was flirting with Sam at the coffee shop."

"Oh, God, Y/N, I'm so sorry," Sam said.

"Sam, please, don't apologize. It's not your fault that Jeff's insane," you said.

Sam sighed. "Okay, Y/N, I have to clean these wounds now. This is gonna sting like a bitch."

You nearly screamed when whatever Sam was using touched your wounds. You felt a warm hand grab onto yours and squeeze. You looked up and saw Dean holding your hand, concern etching his features.

"Just squeeze it tight, Y/N. I'm here for ya," he said, continuing to watch you. You squeezed his hand hard, the pain not lessening. Dean looked as though he was afraid his hand might break, which almost made you want to laugh. Almost.

Sam continued, apologizing as he cleaned each lash. Eventually, the pain was too much. You felt yourself slip into unconsciousness and let it come, glad to be free from pain for a little while.


	7. Chapter 7

When you opened your eyes, it was to an unfamiliar room. You were laying face down on a bed, on top of its scratchy covers. Your head was turned so your cheek was against the mattress, looking to your left. You felt your back throbbing and remembered where you were.

You heard a slight grunt from your right, and turned your head to see who was there. Dean was sitting beside the bed in a wooden chair--arms crossed and head lolling to the side--fast asleep and snoring. You smiled a little at the image. You knew he had stayed with you to make sure you were okay. You looked at the clock on the bedside table which read 9:00. You knew it was AM, as you had gotten in after nine the night before.

"Dean," you whispered, trying to wake him without scaring him. He didn't stir. "Deaaaan," you said in a sing-songy voice. Dean's head snapped up, his eyes darting all around the room.

"Wha--who's there?" He said, alarmed.

"Uh, hi," you said, an amused look on your face.

"Oh, Y/N, hey. I guess I fell asleep there," he said, stretching his neck and rubbing his eyes.

"You didn't have to stay with me, you know."

"I know. But I just wanted to be here in case you woke up and needed some pain meds or something. You passed out while Sammy was taking care of your back. He finished up and we brought you in here. This is your room, by the way," Dean explained.

You smiled at the way he was already calling it your room. But your heart sank as you remembered why you can't stay.

"Dean, this is all really sweet, and I'm glad you and Sam helped me with my back, but I can't--"

"Don't you dare even say it. You're staying with us. It's not a discussion. I promise you we will keep your family safe," he said, grabbing your hand and staring into your eyes with intensity.

You sighed. "Why do you guys even care?" You asked, trying to understand their motivation.

"Because no one deserves to go through what you've been through," Dean replied, his eyes darting between yours.

You gave him a half-smile, unsure of what to say. "So...there was mention of pain meds?"

Dean jumped up from his chair, releasing your hand. Yes, I'll get them for you. I'll be right back!"

You smiled a little at his eagerness to help you. You closed your eyes for a few minutes before hearing a hesitant knock on the door.

"Y/N?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yeah, Sam?" You responded.

"You mind if I talk to you for a minute? I ran into Dean and got your painkillers."

"Sure, but you could talk to me even if you didn't come bearing drugs, you know." You responded. Sam chuckled a little bit and came over to the bed. "Do you think you could help me sit up?" You asked.

"Of course," Sam said. Getting out of the laying position with the wounds on your back was nearly impossible. Sam gently helped you up and you sat on the bed, avoiding putting your back against anything. When you finally got situated on the the bed, Sam sat down next to you, leaning back on the headboard.

"Y/N, I just wanted to see how you're doing. I know you're physically not great, but how are you feeling?" Sam asked. You were pretty sure you knew why he was there.

"So Dean saw you and sent you in here to handle the feelings-crap, huh?" You asked, smiling a little.

"Well, you know, I wanted to talk to you anyway...but yeah, he's not so good with discussing emotions."

  
"Somehow I'm not surprised," you said with a smile that didn't reach your eyes. "Listen, Sam, I'm fine. I know that sounds ridiculous. But honestly, I thought that Jeff was my entire future...that--that I was stuck," you said, staring at the bedspread with your eyes wide and shaking your head. "But Sam, that's what I had to do. He was going to kill my family. He is going to kill my family." You turned to look at him with your brows furrowed.

"Y/N, you know we're not--"

"I know," you said, holding up a hand to stop him. "I know you say you won't let it happen. But I don't think you guys understand what he's capable of. Living with him was my own personal hell. He tortured me day in and day out. Not even just physically. The things he said to me were hateful. But it was all worth it, because they were safe. Now...now I'm not sure. Staying with Jeff was the only way to guarantee he would leave them alone." You felt a tear run down your cheek and quickly wiped it away.

Sam looked at you with sympathy in his eyes. He put one of his big, warm hands on your shoulder, wrapping his arm around you. "Y/N, that's a lot to take on by yourself." He shook his head. "You don't have to do this by yourself anymore, okay?" He said, using his other hand to brush your hair from your eyes. "Dean and I are going to help you. And just so you know, when Dean says he's going to do something, he means it. He keeps his word," Sam said, a serious look on his face. You felt your heart warm a bit at the sentiment, and a small burden lift at the mention of not having to protect your family alone anymore. Sam was the most kind person you had ever met. "Now, we need to look at your back again to make sure you don't get an infection. Let's hope those pills have kicked in," he said, giving you a light squeeze and standing up. You prepared yourself for the pain you were about to feel. You knew, though, that you would take the pain that comes with healing over the pain you experienced with Jeff any day.

  
Dean

He knew he probably shouldn't, but Dean couldn't help but listen to your conversation with Sam through the small crack of the door. He pushed off the wall he was leaning against, heading toward the kitchen. He didn't think he could handle the sounds of you in pain again as Sam cleaned your wounds.

Dean looked in the refrigerator, wishing it was later so he could have a beer without seeming like he had a drinking problem. He definitely felt like he needed one. The truth was, listening to you gave him all kinds of emotions he didn't understand. He closed the fridge and shook his head.

"Hey, man, she'll be out soon. Changing those bandages really took it out of her," Sam said, shaking his head and walking into the kitchen. Dean pursed his lips and nodded his head, turning toward the hall.

"You okay?" Sam asked. Dean stopped short of the doorway and turned.

"I'm fine, Sammy. I just--I heard you and Y/N talking. I guess I just don't know what to think is all."

"What to think about what she said?" Sam asked, confused.

"I don't know, okay? Everything about her and her situation is just...frustrating to me! I don't know what's happening, but it feels like my insides are being all torn up or something!" Dean said, gesturing frantically around his stomach.

Sam stifled a laugh. "Okay, well, good luck figuring all that out. But, if you ask me, it sounds like you have a thing for Y/N." Sam's face turned serious. "And Dean, that's the last thing she needs right now."

Dean rolled his eyes. "One, I don't have a thing for her. And B, even if I did, do you think I'm some kind of moron? Obviously she's not going to want to be with anyone for a while. I'm not an idiot, Sam."

Sam scoffed, turning on his heal and heading toward the library. Dean mimicked Sam and scoffed at him as he left.

_I don't have a thing for her. I don't...right_?

 


	8. Chapter 8

You

You stood before the full length mirror in your room, looking over your shoulder at your back. The slashes were covered mostly by gauze, but the edges of the lines still stuck out, deep and bright red.

You heaved a deep sigh and gently pulled on a big gray v-neck Dean had let you borrow. You stood for a moment, letting the pain from changing the dressings and putting a shirt on wash over you. You breathed in deep, waiting for it to subside a bit so you could leave your room. As you waited, you felt a new anger rise up in you. You had never really let yourself get too mad during your time with Jeff, as you knew it would only bring on worse repercussions for you. It was frustrating--pretending to be so weak. You had always been the confident one in your family. You had stood your ground when you got in arguments with your parents, and you were always there to defend Sarah when she needed you.

Sarah was always so soft-spoken. You were never loud or anything, but you always made your opinion known. That's why it was so hard to think about the person you had to be around Jeff. It was even worse to think about having to go back to that.

You shook your head, trying to let the thought go. You walked slowly to the door and out into the hallway. You hobbled down the hall and toward the kitchen.

"...not an idiot, Sam."

You heard the sound of Sam scoffing and Dean mocking him. You came around the corner and saw Dean standing in the kitchen, alone.

"Why aren't you an idiot, now?" You asked, walking toward the refrigerator.

"Oh, it's nothin'. How you feelin'?" Dean asked.

"Mmm, like I got hit by a truck," you said, peering down into the fridge. "Is it too early for a beer?"

Dean chuckled and you closed the fridge, turning to him. "What?"

"Oh nothing, I can just relate is all," Dean said with a smirk.

You smirked back at him. "So, what're the plans for today? Lunch, TV...a plan to keep my psycho ex from killing my family?"

Dean narrowed his eyes as if thinking and nodded his head. "Definitely lunch."

You lightly punched his shoulder. "Dean, I'm serious. My family's lives are kind of depending on this."

"Y/N, don't worry, okay? Sammy is talking to the local hospitals to see if Jeff is in any of them and how he's doing. That will give us a better idea of our timeline."

You nodded, looking up at the ceiling. Dean placed his hand on your cheek, bringing your eyes to his. "Darlin, I mean it. I promise, we won't let anything happen to them."

You bit the inside of your cheek. You wanted to trust him, but your judgement in men hadn't proven to be the best as of late. You looked at Dean's mossy green eyes. Something there was telling you to trust him. You had never seen any look like this when you were with Jeff.

Finally, you nodded your head. Dean flashed a quick closed-lip smile and dropped his hand. He cleared his throat.

"So, let's go see how Sammy's doing, shall we?" He put his arm out so you could wrap yours in his for support.

You walked slowly to the library with Dean. "Hey, Sam," you said. You sank slowly into the wooden chair next to him, Dean helping you on your way down.

"Any word on Jeff, Sammy?" Dean asked, taking the seat across from you.

"Yes. Looks like he went to the emergency room at Mercy East in New Mexico. I got them to tell me that he's stable, but he's really beat up; broken nose, broken jaw, bruises everywhere...he's gonna be eating through a straw for a while. Sounds like it will be a few weeks before he's able to do much of anything on his own again," Sam explained.

You sighed in relief, glad you still had more time. Then, another thought plagued you. "But how do we know for sure he doesn't do anything?"

"I called Cas. He is keeping an eye on your family and he'll let us know if anything suspicious happens," Sam said.

"Cas?" You asked.

"Yeah, Castiel. He's an angel buddy of ours. Really like another one of the family," Dean said, smiling.

"An angel?" You asked. You had come across a few angels in your time with Jeff. They had been vengeful, powerful, hateful monsters. "Aren't they kinda dicks?" You asked, raising your brows.

"Most of them are. But not Cas," Dean said.

"And you trust him to protect my family?"

"I would trust him with Sammy's life, if that tells you anything," Dean replied. You looked at Sam, who gave you a small nod and smile. You felt reassured, and nodded back.

"Okay. But I still think we should come up with a plan for when Jeff is doing better," you said, chewing your lip.

"We will. For right now though, Y/N, you need to focus on healing, okay?" Sam said, concern in his hazel eyes.

You smiled and looked at Dean. "Will you help me to one of those comfy chairs by the bookshelf?" Dean got up immediately, rushing over to you and grasping your elbow to help you up. He led you to the chair, where you sunk down and grabbed a book from the shelf next to you about shifters. You looked up and found the brothers staring at you.

"I can't very well heal if you're both watching me constantly, can I?" You asked, scolding them. They both blushed and busied themselves, taking their eyes off of you. You smiled behind your book, glad to be in the bunker with two men who would never hurt you.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Dean

It had been a few weeks since you had come to live with Sam and Dean. Dean knew you were in a lot of pain when you were first there, and he couldn't imagine what it felt like to be beaten with a belt. It made him want to kill Jeff with his bare hands.

You had been resting the last few weeks. Dean and Sam had kept a close eye on you, hoping they could help you heal faster by tending to your every need. You hadn't appreciated it, telling them that you didn't need to be babied. _Too frickin' bad_ , Dean thought. Dean wasn't about to let you get hurt anymore than you already were, and that included getting an infection or over-exerting yourself and opening your wounds.

Dean walked from the kitchen down the hall toward his room. He was passing by your room and something caught his eye. He stopped and looked through the crack in the door. You were standing in front of your bed, your back to Dean. You had no shirt on, and Dean ran his eyes up and down your torso, taking in your curves. He had spent the last few weeks avoiding thoughts of his feelings for you, knowing it would only make your life harder. Looking at you then, though, he felt his heart flutter. He knew it wasn't just a physical attraction.

His eyes continued their path up and down your back, this time taking in the angry scars covering it. Anger rose up in into Dean's chest. He closed his eyes tight, trying to push the anger down. When he opened them, you had put a shirt on and were turning around. Dean rushed out of the doorway. He didn't need you thinking he was some kind of asshole watching you undress.

"Dean!" You said, coming out of your room.

Dean turned around, feigning innocence. "Yeah?" He waited to see if you would rip him a new one for watching you.

"Listen," you said, walking toward him. "I really think I'm ready to get back to hunting. My back is pretty well healed, and I know I can do it."

Dean breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't been caught. Damn, I'm creepy. "Y/N, I'm just not sure it's a good idea for you to jump right back in to hunting."

"Jump right back in? It's been three weeks. And all I can do is worry about what Jeff might do to my family. I need to do something, Dean."

"I get that--I do. But I just don't want you to get hurt," Dean said, reaching for your hand. When he took it, he rubbed the top of your hand with his thumb, reveling in the softness of your skin. Dean gazed at you for a moment before you lightly pulled your hand away, a hint of fear in your eyes. He knew that you were probably still afraid of the touch of a man after what that dickhead did to you, but he had to admit--it hurt. He thought you trusted him.

"I won't get hurt, Dean. I'll be fine. Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty good at hunting," you said.

Dean thought back to the hunt he went on with you and Jeff. You had taken down at least three werewolves on your own, and that was when your wounds were fresh. "Yeah, I gotta admit, you were pretty awesome with that werewolf pack."

A light smile crossed your face. "So let me go," you said, your eyes darting between Dean's.

Dean sighed. "Okay, but Sammy and I are with you every step, okay?"

"Thank you, Dean. It'll be good, you'll see," you said, turning down the hall toward the kitchen.

_It better be_ , Dean thought. He didn't know why, but he knew he wouldn't handle you getting hurt again well.

\----------------

You

You had been on four hunts since your conversation with Dean, and you had to admit: you were kind of a badass. You found that you were calm on hunts, keeping your mind clear so you could finish the job quickly and quietly. You hadn't really had the chance to exhibit your skills when you were with Jeff. He always kept you more in the background. He taught you how to defend yourself back when your relationship was new, and you knew how to defeat most monsters from being Jeff's researcher. There were no words to describe how it felt to finally be able to reach your potential on a hunt.

Sam and Dean had been by your side at every hunt, making sure nothing happened to you. You were pleasantly surprised that they rarely had to step in and help you. If anything, each person helped the others an equal amount: tossing a gun over, swiping a ghost with iron...the three of you made a great team.

You would catch Dean looking at you sometimes. You knew he was impressed at your abilities back when you took on the werewolves, but now, with you actually pulling your weight on hunts, you could tell he was surprised. When you would catch him looking at you, a small smile on his face, you felt your heart do a little flip. You didn't have the emotional energy to examine this, though, as you spent most of it on worrying about your family and Jeff's revenge.

Cas had reported in every day that he hadn't seen anything happening with your family. Jeff was never lurking around, and you hadn't heard anything from or about him. Somehow, that made you feel worse.

"Got everything you need?" Sam asked, pulling you from your thoughts.

"Yeah, I think so. Shotgun filled with rock salt, regular salt, iron rod. Should be a piece of cake." You and the boys were heading to a house in northern Kansas--a single mom and her two kids that were being haunted by something nasty. One of Jeff's hunting buddies had called you when he couldn't get a hold of Jeff to tell you about it.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked, heading past you toward the garage. You nodded and followed him, taking a seat in the back of the Impala. You had grown to love the car: the sounds, the smells--it sort of represented freedom to you. You ran your hands over the cracked leather, remembering the night you were taken from Jeff, and the small bit of relief you felt even through the terror for your family.

You arrived at the house about an hour later. It was an old house from 1851 that had been remodeled a few times. It was beautiful. However, it couldn't seem to keep a family in it. No one knew why but you and the boys had a feeling it had to do with a haunting.

You looked up at the three-story house, squinting your eyes in the sun. Dean walked up next to you, looking up as well. "Whatcha lookin at there, darlin?"

"This house has so much history. It's no wonder its haunted. It's too bad, really. It's so beautiful," you replied.

"Yeah, it is," Dean said. You could tell from your peripheral vision that he was looking at you when he said that. You felt your cheeks warm a bit and smiled. You looked at Dean.

"Come on, let's go hunt some dead sons-of-bitches." You started walking toward the house, Dean chuckling and following behind you.

 


	10. Chapter 10

The family had left the house, giving the three of you time to go in and take care of the haunt. The spirits were those of the first couple that lived in the house. The articles you and Sam had looked up said that their deaths were a murder-suicide--that the husband killed the wife and then himself. No one was sure why, but there had been reports that the wife had been unfaithful to the husband. The couple had been cremated, so the three of you had to figure out what was holding them here and burn it.

You went into the house first, shotgun raised. The house was quiet, and you took a moment to take it in. Right in from the front door was a beautiful winding staircase. On the left was an elegant dining room, and on the right was a sitting room with gorgeous crown molding.

"Alright, I think we should split up, look for whatever is tying these ghosts here," Sam said, pulling you from your thoughts. "I'll take the main floor; Dean, you take the attic, and Y/N, you take the basement." You all nodded and you headed for the door to the basement. Sam grasped your shoulder as you passed.

"Y/N, you okay going by yourself?"

"Yes, Sammy, I'm fine," you replied, a smirk on your face. You knew the boys worried about you, but this wasn't even close to being your first hunt. And besides--the thing you were more scared of lived outside those walls.

You crept down the creaky staircase to the basement. You kept your flashlight and gun held high, ready for if something would pop out at you. When you reached the end of the stairs, you stepped down and began searching. There were plenty of boxes scattered around that you could tell belonged to the current family living there, as they were scrawled with words like "X-mas 2014," and "baby clothes." You walked quietly and quickly to the back of the basement, where you found a wooden dresser sitting in the corner. You could tell it was old, and thought it could hold what you were looking for.

You opened each drawer carefully, sifting among the items you could tell were junk. When you reached the bottom drawer, you found a hand-mirror that was backed with wood and intricately carved with flowers. It was beautiful, and you thought it could at least be what the wife was clinging to.

You heard the door to the basement open, and quickly raised your gun. The sound of even footfalls came floating down and you saw a pair of boots descending the steps. Relieved that it was Sam or Dean and not a spirit, you turned back and leaned your gun against the dresser.

"Hey, do you guys think this could be what the wife is tied to? It seems pretty special so this could be it," you said, examining it closely. You turned around to show one of the boys the mirror. When you did, your heart nearly stopped beating.

_Jeff_.

You took in his face, still lightly bruised from the beating he took. His nose had a large bump in it from where it was broken, and when he spoke, he barely opened his mouth. You figured that was because of his jaw having been broken.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," he said, practically snarling. You stood frozen, not knowing what to do or say. Your gun was behind you on the floor, and any sudden movement would surely be a mistake.

"You know, my friend told me you would be here. Called me again after he talked to you, thinking it was weird you weren't with me. Getting him to tell me where you are was a piece of cake."

Jeff took a small step toward you, and you stepped back. You thought about screaming out, but it was as if he knew exactly what you were thinking.

"I wouldn't yell if I were you, sweetheart. You do, I run. And I will run right to your family's house. No one will survive."

You bit your lip. The last thing you wanted was for him to go after your family, and he knew that.

"What are you doing here? It's over, Jeff. You can't hurt me anymore," you said, your voice even.

"Now that's a funny thing to say, Y/N," he said, walking even closer to you. You were backed against a wall, and Jeff took the shotgun and kicked it out of the way. "The way I see it, you have two options. You come with me now, or I kill your family. Same as it's always been." He was so close to you that you could feel his warm breath on you.

You quickly tried to consider your options. You could scream, but Jeff would run, and there was a chance that Sam and Dean wouldn't be able to catch him before he got to his car.

Your other option was to go with him. Your family would be safe...but were they ever really safe? You knew you were always one bad argument away from Jeff running off to kill your family.

No. You couldn't, and wouldn't go back to that. You made a quick decision. You were going to fight.

"I'm not coming with you," you said, your voice firm. "And you're never going to touch my family."

You grasped his shoulders and kneed him in his groin as hard as you could. Jeff doubled over in pain, and you stepped around him to run upstairs. Before you could, though, Jeff grabbed your pant leg and pulled you down. You kicked his hands away as much as you could, but he was back up and grabbing you around the waist. You fought, but Jeff was still much bigger than you. There was only so much you could do.

Next thing you knew, Jeff hand thrown you to the ground. The wind was knocked out of you. You were panting, trying to catch your breath when the first punch landed. He hit you square in the jaw, throwing your head to the side. You continued to try to kick, but he had your extremities pinned with his legs.

The punching continued and you felt blood fill your mouth. You struggled, but knew it was no use. When you were weak enough, Jeff got up and began kicking you, knowing you would be unable to fight back. You heard your ribs crunch, and felt blinding pain in your right leg that he had just brought his boot down on. You screamed out, unable to hold it in. You felt yourself being pulled into unconsciousness as the blows continued.

_This is how I die_... you thought. You closed your eyes, your last thoughts like a prayer that the boys would continue to protect your family after you were gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you for all your comments, beautiful readers!! I won't leave you hanging. :)

 

Dean

Dean had found the items the spirits were connected to without much trouble. The husband and wife had appeared a few times, both looking like roadkill from having their heads blown off. Dean had used his shotgun to send them away, which gave him enough time to figure out that the creepy-ass porcelain dolls in the attic that looked like a bride and groom were the items they had held onto. Dean burned them just as they had both appeared to try and stop him. They vanished in fire, screaming as they went.

Dean went downstairs to tell you and Sam. He had just found Sam in the kitchen and told him he finished the job when they both heard commotion and crashing coming from the basement.

Dean ran to the basement with Sam on his heels. He rushed down the stairs, shotgun drawn, to find Jeff standing over your limp body, still kicking you though you were clearly unconscious.

Dean felt anger like he'd never experienced coursing through his veins. He started to lunge at Jeff, who pulled out a 9mm. Dean stopped in his tracks, sticking out his arm to stop Sam as well.

"I figured you boys would be here," Jeff said, still pointing the gun at them. "Too bad you only have guns filled with salt. This gun has bullets--bullets I won't hesitate to put in you if you try to stop me. I am taking Y/N. You let me take her, we have no problem."

Dean tried to think through the fury that was clouding his head. He looked down at you. It was hard to tell if you were even alive, you were so beaten and bloody. He looked at Sam, who was clearly thinking the same thing. Sam's eyes locked with Dean's, an unspoken agreement between them: they would not let Jeff take you anywhere.

"You know, Jeff, it takes a real coward to beat up a woman. A real dick. Let me guess, you were picked on as a kid? Classic bullied little nobody who grew up and wanted to show he had power? What a cliche you are," Dean said, walking slowly to his left. His words had the desired effect. Jeff follow him with his gun, getting angry but still listening to what Dean was saying. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Sam inching to the right. Jeff may have been strong, but he was still an idiot.

"You don't know a damned thing about me," Jeff said, fuming.

"Oh, sure I do," Dean said, still turning Jeff away from Sam. "You hunt--not to help people--but because you like the way it feels when you kill something. You like the power it gives you. And hey, maybe you got beat up at home, too? Am I right? Dad a drunk, mom too hopped up on antidepressants to care?"

Jeff audibly snarled and lunged at Dean. But it was too late--Sam gripped him in a headlock, causing him to drop the gun. Dean picked it up and pointed it at him. Jeff was still in a rage, though, and was able to turn around. He started attacking Sam, landing punches wherever he could. Dean knew what he had to do.

"Sam, down!" He called. Sam ducked, and a shot rang out as Dean hit Jeff square in the chest with a bullet. His eyes wide, he fell to the ground. Blood pooled around him as Sam checked for a pulse. He shook his head.

Dean dropped the gun and ran to your side. He kneeled down, grasping your face in his hands. You didn't move.

"No, Y/N, come on, you're gonna be okay!" Dean said, lightly tapping your face. He felt for a pulse, and found one that was light.

"Sammy, call Cas, now!"

 

* * *

 

You

You could hear your heart pounding in your ears. Every few seconds, you would catch pieces of the frantic conversation around you.

"--call Cas, now!"

"--it's Sam. Y/N's hurt, bad. We need you to get here fast!"

"--son-of-a-bitch! I can't believe he did this!"

"--on, Y/N. Cas will be here soon, and he'll take care of you."

You tried to keep your eyes open, but they kept closing on their own, the pain too much. You were so tired. You just wanted it to be over. You felt yourself slipping again into the blackness. It felt safe—easy. You were about to let go when you felt a tight squeeze on your hand. You opened one swollen eye and saw bright green ones looking down at you.

"Don't you give up, Y/N. We need you, darlin. I need you," Dean said, his face inches from yours. Somewhere deep down you knew you had to fight to stay. So you did. You turned away from the darkness that was so enticing and nodded slightly at Dean. You closed your eyes, waiting for Cas to arrive and fighting to stay conscious.

You heard a rustle of wings, and felt a new presence beside you. You opened your eyes and saw Castiel kneeling beside you.

"You're going to be okay, Y/N," he said, placing two fingers to your forehead. You felt warmth spread throughout your body, the pain easing as it went. You closed your eyes, reveling in the feeling.

"She is still distressed. Her injuries are severe," Cas said as he continued to heal you. "I'm going to let her sleep for now." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, you fell into a dreamless sleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the comments, dear readers!

You woke to the feeling of fingers on your forehead. You opened your eyes and saw Cas's stern blue ones looking back at you. He held a finger to his mouth to keep you quiet. You looked around and saw that you were back at the bunker and in your bed. Dean was sleeping beside you and Sam was in a chair next to the bed, his head slumped over and snoring.

Cas gestured for you to follow him and you climbed quietly out of the bed so as to not wake Dean. You followed him down the hall and to the library, where you both sat at the big wooden table.

"Y/N, what do you remember?" Cas asked as soon as you were both seated.

You thought for a moment, your memory still foggy. Everything seemed to be coming back to you in broken images.

"I--I remember we were on a hunt, trying to put some spirits to rest," you began, scrunching your eyes and slightly shaking your head. "We split up, and then--oh, God, then Jeff showed up…"

Cas watched you with his head slightly tilted, giving you time to remember. "He--he beat me. It was bad...the pain alone just—he didn't get away, did he?" You asked frantically.

"No. Jeff is dead," Cas said, his voice even.

"But how? I was sure that he was going to kill me."

"He almost did. You were very badly injured when I arrived to heal you. Sam and Dean found him in the basement with you, they got into a confrontation, and Dean shot Jeff. They called me and I healed you, then put you to sleep," Cas explained.

"So he's dead. It's over?" You asked, not daring to get your hopes up.

"It is. And your family is safe. Jeff had only decided to come after you, and I never saw him come near your family."

"Oh, Cas, I don't know what to say," you said, getting up from the table and running to him. You threw your arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. Thank you for keeping my family safe."

Cas's cheeks turned pink and he gave you a stiff smile and cleared his throat. "It was my pleasure, Y/N. I wanted to tell you the status of your family. I also wanted to tell you that they miss you. They talk about you frequently. Now that they are no longer in danger, you may want to go visit them." He stood up from the table. "I have matters to attend to. Tell Sam and Dean they can call me if they need me."

With a rustle of wings, Cas was gone. You leaned back in your chair and tried to let everything Cas told you sink in. The thought of going to see your family both elated and frightened you. You knew they probably missed you, but could they forgive you for leaving?

 

* * *

 

You woke screaming and sweating. The nightmare had been terrible. It was like every horrific moment with Jeff was on repeat, and you had no way to stop it. You took a moment to catch your breath.

"Y/N, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Dean said from beside you. Sam had apparently left at some point to go to his own room, but Dean was still there—Sam must have decided to let him sleep.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Okay, well, is there anything you need?" He asked, concern in his brow.

"No, I--I'll be fine. Thanks, Dean."

"I can go back to my bed or I can stay here with you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay when you woke up," he said.

"Yeah, Cas woke me up earlier and told me what happened. Thank you, Dean. Thank you for saving me." You looked in his eyes, trying to convey how thankful you really were. He nodded, and slid out of your bed.

"If you need anything, just holler, okay?"

"I will. Goodnight, Dean," you said as he left your room. The truth was that you really didn't want to be left alone, but you didn't want to be a burden, either. As soon as Dean shut the door and you were in the darkness, panic crept in as the memories returned. You laid back in bed, willing them to go away. You knew it was no use, though, and that you wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

 Dean

When Dean woke up, he yawned and rubbed his hand over his tired eyes. He laid there for a moment, just thinking about the events from the day before. He had killed a man--another hunter. It wasn't his first human kill, but it still got to him every time. He didn't feel as bad since the guy was a bag of dicks...but it was still hard.

Then there was you. You were nearly beaten to death, but you were so strong. He hadn't gotten to talk to you much after Cas healed you, but he was almost disappointed that you didn't ask him to stay with you in your room the night before. He hadn't really wanted to be alone--not that he would ever admit that. And you had even woken up from a nightmare and just rolled over like it was nothing. Even though you seemed strong, Dean had a feeling it would catch up with you at some point.

Dean rolled out of bed and stumbled down the hall to the shower room. He heard that a shower was running and was about to turn back when he heard singing coming from under the door. He cracked the door open, almost entranced by what he was hearing.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_  
_Fire away, fire away_  
_Ricochet, you take your aim  
Fire away, fire away_

Dean couldn't believe the voice he was hearing come out of you. It was beautiful and graceful.

_Shoot me down_  
_But I won't fall  
I am titanium_

You hit the high notes effortlessly and beautifully. Dean leaned against the door frame, listening as you continued singing, almost unable to make himself move.

\------------

You

You were in the shower, trying to wash away the pain and sadness of your dreams the night before. While the steam and hot water helped to tamp down the panic a bit, it didn't get rid of it completely. You did the one thing you could think of to make you feel better: sing.

You were singing "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia, which was ironic, because 'titanium' was anything but how you were feeling. Singing did something for you, though. It helped to clear your head.

You thought you heard the door to the bathroom open. You kept singing, but decided to peek outside the curtain when you reached the end of the chorus to see if anyone was there. When you did, you saw Dean leaning in the door frame. When you locked eyes, Dean's cheeks turned pink and he looked like a little kid who was caught doing something wrong.

You gave him a small smile and continued singing.

_Cut me down_  
_But it's you who has further to fall_  
_Ghost town, haunted love_  
_You raise your voice_  
_Sticks and stones may break my bones_  
 _I'm talking loud  
Not saying much_

You pulled your head back into the shower and continued washing. You replayed Dean's look in your mind, a smirk on his face that said he was intrigued that you weren't embarrassed or upset that he had caught you singing.

You finished showering and dried off. You dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and headed to the kitchen where you found Sam drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Morning, Sammy," you said, getting some coffee for yourself.

"Y/N, how are you?" He asked, putting his paper down.

"I'm good, Sam. Honestly, I'm just glad this is over."

"But...is it over?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"What do you mean?"

Sam heaved a sigh. "I just mean, domestic abuse isn't something you just 'get over.' It usually affects the victims for a long time. And that's not to say you're weak or anything, Y/N, I just...I just mean, it's okay to not be okay."

You felt your heart speed up a bit at what Sam was saying. The truth was, you really didn't feel okay. You were glad you'd finally get to see your family again, but when you closed your eyes, it felt as if you were still trapped, like you never got away from Jeff. You didn't want to worry the boys with your problems, though. They had enough to worry about, what with saving the world on an almost-weekly basis and all.

You plastered on a fake smile. "I'm fine, Sam, really. It was hard, but I'll be okay."

Sam's eyes said he didn't believe you, but the conversation was ended as Dean walked into the room. You lifted an eyebrow and gave him a smirk, humming "Titanium" as you passed by him on your way back to your room.

You heard Dean give a low chuckle just before you were out of earshot.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Dean

"Man, I'm worried she's not being honest with us," Sam said. Dean was sitting with Sam in Baby. The two had gone out to pick up dinner at a small diner down the road for the three of you.

"What do you mean? We just got home, like, this morning," Dean replied.

"Dude, with how much she's been through? I mean, Cas healed her physically, but she's gotta be hurting on the inside. Jeff nearly killed her."

"I know, Sammy. She woke up screaming last night from a nightmare and I'm pretty sure I heard her a couple other times after I went back to my own room."

"I just think we should keep an eye on her. I don't know about you, but I think she belongs in this family, and I don't want anything to happen to her," Sam said, shaking his head. Dean thought about that. He was pretty sure he didn't think of you as a little sister, but he knew what Sam meant. You fit with them--belonged. Dean felt that same itch to protect you that Sam did.

"Alright, man, we'll keep an eye on her."

"Good. So...did you ever figure out your feelings for her?" Sam asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Man, no chick-flick moments. Even if I did have feelings for her--which I don't—I wouldn't be thinking about that right now," Dean lied. The truth was, he didn't know how he felt, and his mind wouldn't shut up about it. Seemed to be a common theme for him.

The brothers drove back to the bunker with the burgers and fries and parked the Impala. Dean walked inside, setting the food down on the kitchen table.

"Y/N! Soup's on!" Dean yelled. He got no response. He immediately felt fear creeping up, but tried to keep himself calm. _She probably just didn't hear me._ "Y/N?"

There was still no answer. Sam and Dean walked quickly down the hallway to your room. The door was closed, and they could hear what sounded like distressed breathing coming from under it.

Dean knocked loudly. "Y/N, sweetheart, are you okay?"

There was silence for a minute, then a small answer. "I--I'm fine," you said before resuming your hyperventilating.

"Like hell you are. I'm coming in," Dean said, opening the door. He saw you, crumpled on the floor between the bed and the nightstand. You had tears running down your face, and you clung to your knees. You wouldn't look up at Dean, and you were breathing heavily.

Dean kneeled down to your eye level. "Darlin, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a tentative hand on your knee. He didn't know what caused this to happen to you, but he knew he wanted to kill whatever it was.

\-------

You

_God, this is so embarrassing_. Here you were, having a panic attack with two pairs of gorgeous Winchester eyes waiting for an explanation.

You had just been in your room, sitting on your bed. When the boys left, you told yourself you were fine, that the bunker was a very safe place. You sat on your bed and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. When you opened your eyes, Jeff was standing there.

_No. He’s dead_.

_Jeff’s teeth shown in a snarl._

_“Miss me, honey?” He asked, slowly walking toward you._

_“You’re dead. This isn’t real,” you said, your eyes wide._

_“Oh, I’m alive. And you’re never escaping me again.” Jeff closed the distance between you and smacked you hard across the face. You heard a knocking sound somewhere but couldn’t focus on it._

_This isn’t real._

“Y/N, sweetheart, are you okay?”

You heard Dean’s voice from the other side of the door. He couldn’t see you like this.

“I—I’m fine,” you responded shakily. You heard Dean say something in response but couldn’t take your eyes off of the evil man standing in front of you.

_He’s dead. He isn’t really here_.

You closed your eyes tight, willing Jeff to go away. When you opened your eyes, Dean was kneeling in front of you. At some point you had moved to the small space between the nightstand and the bed—not that you remembered that. You realized your face was wet with tears and you couldn’t catch your breath.

“Darlin’, what’s wrong?”

"I--I don't...I can't..." you couldn't even get full sentences out.

"Dean, I think she's having a panic attack," Sam said. "Try to help her slow down her breathing. I'm going to go get her some water." He left the room in a hurry.

Dean placed his hand on your face, pulling your eyes up to meet his. "Y/N, listen to me. I need you to breathe. Deep and even. Slowly."

You tried to do as he said, but couldn't seem to get a handle on it. Suddenly, you were being pulled from the floor. Dean had picked you up, placing you on the bed. He sat down behind you, wrapping his arms around you.

"Breathe, darlin. In...and out..." he whispered in your ear, holding you tight, trying to get you to match your breaths with his.

After a few minutes you did, and your breathing returned to normal. You were so embarrassed, but all you could do was let Dean hold you and try to focus on his breathing. The memories and visions of Jeff attacking were still flying through your brain, but they were lessening. Instead, you could feel Dean's strong arms, his steady heartbeat on your back, his warm breath on your neck.

"You doin’ okay, darlin?" He asked, pushing your hair away from your face.

"Y--Yeah, I think I'm okay. I'm so sorry, Dean--"

"No, no, don't you apologize.” He sighed. “Y/N, why didn't you tell us you weren't okay?" Dean turned you to look at him.

"I thought I had a handle on it. I--I thought I was okay. Dean, I've dealt with this stuff for years. I guess I just didn't think it being over would be when I would not be able to deal."

A few tears ran down your face again. You tried to wipe them away, but Dean grabbed your hands. "Y/N, we'll figure this out, okay? You're gonna be okay." He pulled your face so your eyes were on his. "We're a family. Sammy and I will help you."

Your heart warmed, and you felt more tears slide down your face. Sam walked up next to you and handed you a glass of water. He brushed a hand down your hair, a silent gesture saying he agreed with Dean. You knew you had your real family to go back to, but you also knew that Sam and Dean really understood you—that they got what you had been through. You smiled and nodded. You didn't know how they could help you, but you felt a little flutter in your stomach at the offer.

 


	14. Chapter 14

A few weeks had passed and the shock of Jeff's death was starting to wear off a bit. You were still having panic attacks--though you tried to hide them. It wasn't that you didn't want Sam and Dean to help you, it was just that you didn't want to be a burden to them. They had already opened their home to you, and asking for a shoulder to cry on multiple times a day didn't seem like something a good guest would do. So, you hid in your room a lot. Any time you felt one coming on, you would make an excuse and hide. It was the only thing you could think of doing.

You were pretty sure Sam and Dean knew, though.

Often times, when you would come back after finally getting yourself under control, they would give each other a meaningful look--using their 'secret brother language' to say they knew you weren't okay. It probably didn't help that the panic attacks were accompanied by uncontrollable crying, which was clear in your face when you entered the room.

Not only were you having attacks, but sleep was nearly impossible. You would have nightmares, but what was almost worse was when you couldn't fall asleep because your brain wouldn't turn off.

_What if he didn't really die? It's possible. Sam and Dean have died multiple times, and they're still here. Could he get in? Could he get to me again? Would he find my family?_

Then you would think, _God I'm insane. I can't believe the boys even put up with me. I must be such a burden to them._

And on and on it would go.

You were in your room sitting on your bed, reading one of the lore books from the library. You heard a light tap on your door.

"Come in," you said softly, not looking up from your book.

"Hey Y/N, you busy?" Dean asked.

"No, what's up?" You looked up from your book. You honestly almost started drooling. Dean wasn't dressed any differently than normal, but for some reason you couldn't take your eyes off him. His tall frame was leaning in your doorway, his arms crossed. You could see the lines of his muscles in his forearms, and his flannel shirt sleeves were rolled to just below his elbows. He wore jeans that were distressed--probably from hunting, not bought that way--and a gray v-neck. His eyes were a bright, mossy green, and he had stubble lining his jaw.

"Hello, darlin, you there?" He asked, pulling you out of your trance.

"Y--Yeah, what did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to go for a drive with me to get some dinner," he said, a bemused smile on his face.

The thought of spending time alone with him made you both nervous and excited. Nervous because you really hadn't been thinking too carefully about your feelings for Dean--what with the crushing panic you were under half the time--and excited because, well, hot damn.

"Uh, sure, I'll go. Let me just get my jacket."

\----------

Dean

Dean was back where he felt the most at home: behind the wheel of his baby. He had asked you to come with him to get dinner because he could tell you were stuck in your head a lot lately. No matter what you said, Dean knew you were still struggling. It was such a perfect day outside that he was hoping fresh air and open roads would do you some good.

Dean looked to his right where you were leaning back in the passenger seat, your feet propped up by the window. You had it rolled down, the sun shining in and the wind causing little tendrils of your hair to fly around your face. You were singing along to the radio--"Renegade" by Styx. You leaned your head back, eyes closed.

_So damn beautiful._

You looked at Dean who quickly pretended he wasn't looking at you. He didn’t want to come off as the creepy guy who preyed on newly-single-broken-ish-girls.

“You got something you wanna say, Romeo?” You said, giving Dean a small smirk.

“Nothin, darlin. You just look really pretty is all,” Dean replied, his eyes dashing from the road to you. He felt his cheeks warm at the admission. He wasn’t sorry, though. Even if you didn’t feel the same way about him, you deserved to hear that you’re beautiful.

Dean chanced a look at you. You had put your head back again, eyes closed. You had a light smile on your face. Dean felt his heart beat a little faster and he was glad you weren’t creeped out by him.

“So where are we going anyway?” You asked.

“To a diner,” Dean replied.

“A diner? We couldn't have gone to the one five minutes from home?”

“No, we couldn’t. This diner is kick-ass, trust me,” Dean said. You chuckled, shaking your head.

“Okay, Winchester. But if it sucks, you owe me.”

\----------

  
You

“Oh my God. I literally could not eat another bite. That was the best pie I’ve ever had in my life.”

"Right?" Dean said, his mouth full of apple pie and whipped cream. A little got on his chin and you reached across the booth and wiped it off with your finger. You stuck the finger in your mouth, licking the sweet cream. Dean’s eyes widened a bit. You had to admit—you liked teasing him.

“So, I bet you’re just dying to know if your little tactic worked,” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“W-what? What are you talking about?” Dean asked, his eyes everywhere but on yours.

You softened your voice, leaning in a little and placing your hand on his. “Dean, I’m not an idiot. I know you took me here to get me away from my own fucked-up brain.”

"Well, I--I'm sorry, Y/N. I wasn’t trying to make you feel tricked or anything, I—“

“Dean, it’s fine. It worked,” you said with a smile. “Turns out, distractions are good.”

Dean’s mouth lifted in a half-smile. “They are very good,” he said, turning his hand over so it was holding yours. You loved the feeling of his big, warm, calloused hands in yours. You felt a little pang of anxiety shoot through you, though, and pulled your hand away slowly. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Dean. You did, obviously. But you were scared. Any relationship can start out great, your inner voice said.. _Just wait till he shows his true colors_. You thought it was probably right, though your gut was telling you that you could trust Dean.

“So, uh, you wanna head back?” You asked, placing your hands in your lap.

Dean surveyed you for a second with slightly narrowed eyes. Smiling, he said, “Sure. Who knows what trouble Sammy’s gotten into by now.”

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story! Thanks for reading :)

  
A few days had passed, and you couldn’t stop thinking about your dinner with Dean. You had ridden home from the diner in the dusky light, the sky clear and stars beginning to show. It had gotten a little chilly and you had shivered, rubbing your arms. Dean noticed and immediately gave you his jacket before reaching to turn on the Impala’s old, rattling heater. You put the warm leather around you, taking in the smell that was just fully Dean.

Since then you hadn’t been able to shake the feeling you had when Dean held your hand. Pushing away the anxiety and the voice telling you to be careful—it felt good. You hadn’t felt good for the entirety of your relationship with Jeff. But Dean holding your hand one time made you act like a school girl.

You put the book you were reading about archangels down and rubbed your hand over your face. Sam and Dean walked into the library, heading right to you in the comfy chair you were in. You scrunched your eyes, suspicious.

“Uh, what’s up, guys?” You asked.

“Y/N…uh, here’s the thing…we, uh…Sammy?” Dean said, clearly not wanting to broach the subject.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Dean. Y/N, we were just talking, and we’ve noticed that you haven’t talked at all about going to see your family since Jeff died. There’s no pressure or anything—but Cas told us how badly they miss you. So, we were just wondering if you had a plan at all?”

You had known this conversation was coming. Family was everything to the brothers. So you not going to see yours immediately probably seemed insane. You missed your family so much. But you were afraid that they didn’t really miss you, or that they would be mad at you for leaving.

“Guys, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m just not sure I’m ready.”

“Why not?” Dean asked.

“Well, I just…I don’t know. I guess I’m just afraid.” You hated to admit it out loud but you knew the boys probably already knew anyway.

“What if one of us goes with you?” Sam asked. You thought about that for a moment. Your family hadn’t seen you with anyone since Jeff, obviously. But Sam and Dean were nicer than him any day. Even when compared to the fake Jeff you met in the beginning. Plus, if one of them were there, you would have someone to get you the hell out of there if things went wrong.

“I—yeah, I think that could work,” you said, not looking at either of them.

“Okay, good. So Dean will go with you then,” Sam said, patting Dean on the back and leaving the room. Dean turned around and followed Sam out.

_Great. Clearly neither of them want to go. This is going to be a disaster._

\----------

 

  
Dean

 

“Um, Sam, what the hell was that?”

Dean had followed Sam into the kitchen who was drinking a beer like he hadn’t just done something totally fucked-up.

“What?” He asked.

“Dude, you know I don’t do parents. Why’d you volunteer me?” Dean said, lightly shoving Sam on his way to get a beer of his own.

“Dean, quit being an idiot. Clearly you and Y/N have feelings for each other. So just accept it, and go be there for her. She needs you, man,” Sam said. He turned on his heel and left Dean alone to consider what he said.

Obviously Sam was right. Dean knew that the biggest problem was whether you could accept it or not. And, while the idea of meeting a chick’s family really freaked him out, he knew that you needed him more. He was going to do it. He was always going to do it.

  
Dean walked back into the library where you were still sitting in the chair, staring at a book that you clearly weren’t reading.

“So, darlin’, when do we leave?”

You looked at Dean and smiled. He felt his heart beat a little faster and knew he would go anywhere you needed him.

 

* * *

 

  
You

You were sitting in the front seat of Baby, riding to what felt like the executioner. You knew you were being a little dramatic, but the truth was that you felt like you were going to have another panic attack just thinking about the looks on your family’s faces.

You were wringing your hands, looking out the window at the trees as you passed by them. You felt a tight squeeze on your hand, and looked at Dean, who gave you a reassuring smile.

“It’s gonna be okay, you know. And if it’s not, I’ll get you outta there, okay?” He said.

You gave him a small smile in return. “Thanks, Dean.”

After a few hours, you pulled up to your parents’ house. Though it wasn’t the house you grew up in, you still immediately felt the warm feeling of home when you saw it. Since their children were grown, your parents had decided to downsize to a one-level home. It was pretty picture-esque with its white siding and red shutters and front door.

Dean put the car in park and looked at you. “You ready, darlin’?”

You heaved a deep sigh and looked at the front door. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!

You walked slowly to the front door and knocked lightly. So lightly that Dean scoffed and knocked three hard raps of his own. You glared at him, but all was forgotten when the door opened.

Your mom stood there, lovely as ever. She was wearing a simple black sundress on her slight frame, her hair in shoulder-length curls as usual. You noticed that she had a few new wrinkles around her eyes, and a few more gray hairs.

She put a hand to her mouth, shocked. “Y—Y/N?”

“Hi, Mom,” you said, giving her a weak smile.

Before you knew it, she had swept you up in a hug. She kissed your cheek and put her hand on the top of your head, smoothing your hair.

“Oh, Y/N, sweetheart, we’ve missed you so much,” she said, her voice breaking. You felt tears well in your eyes.

_I never should have doubted that she would be happy to see me._

You stepped back from each other, your mom still holding your face. Her eyes shifted toward Dean in question.

“Mom, this is my friend Dean. Dean, this is my mom, Julia,” you said, introducing them. Dean held out a hand but your mom hugged him instead.

“Thank you for bringing our girl home,” she said. Dean’s eyes were wide for a moment before he returned the hug.

"Jules, who's at the door?” Your dad asked, coming into the doorway. He paused for a moment to take in the scene. “By God, she’s returned,” he said with a smile that took up most of his face and made his eyes scrunch up. He grabbed you in a hug and spun you around. “We missed you, girl,” he said, putting you down.

“I missed you too, Dad,” you said, wiping a stray tear from your cheek. Your dad kept his hands on your face, taking you in.

Dean stepped forward, extending his hand. “Dean Winchester, sir. I'm a friend of Y/N’s.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Dean Winchester. I’m Ron Y/L/N,” he said, taking Dean’s hand. “Wow, firm handshake. I like him already,” he said to you. You rolled your eyes.

“Well let’s not just stand here all day,” your mom said, wiping the last of her tears. “Come in, come in!”

You filed inside, your dad’s arm around you and Dean bringing up the rear. Your mom started fluttering around, trying to make everyone comfortable. “Would you guys like some coffee? And I just made a pie, actually. Want any pie?” She asked. Dean's eyes lit up at the mention of pie, but he looked at you, not wanting to be rude.

“That sounds great, Mom,” you replied, following your dad into the living room. You sat down on the love seat with Dean while your dad took the recliner across from you. Your mom brought in the pie and coffee, which Dean immediately dug in to. You waited, still not sure you had an appetite.

“So, Y/N, honey, how are you?” Your mom asked, concern in her eyes.

“I’m good, Mom. For the first time in a long time, I’m good,” you replied.

“Well what the hell happened?” Your dad asked, concern etched in his features as well.

You sighed deeply. “Well, Dad, let’s just say that Jeff was more than a little controlling. But that’s over now.”

“Well thank God. I hated that guy,” your dad said, clasping his hands together.

“Ronald!” Your mom said, scolding him.

“What? Julia, that boy saved our lives, and I’m grateful for that, but he was an idiot. I knew it from the moment Y/N first brought him home.”

Your mom shook her head, still clearly disapproving, but not disagreeing. “Honey, I don’t really care what happened. I’m just glad you’re here,” she said, reaching across the coffee table and grasping your hand.

“Since that’s settled, I’d like to hear a little bit about this young man you’ve brought home,” your dad said, directing his attention to Dean.

“Dad, I didn’t ‘bring him home.’ We’re friends. Dean helped me out of a tough spot,” you said. You looked at Dean, who almost looked a little disappointed by what you said.

“It’s fine, Y/N. I grew up hunting, sir. Sort of the family business. My brother and I continued on after my father passed, and that’s how we met Y/N,” Dean explained.

"Oh, so you’re all mixed up in this supernatural business too, then?” Your dad asked.

“Yes, sir. Trust me, a lot of times I don’t want to be. But saving people is important, sir, so I can’t stop.”

Your dad smiled, and you knew he really liked Dean. And really, what’s not to like? He’s polite, funny, obviously attractive… _focus, Y/N._

“We were actually about to head to your sister’s for dinner. Do you two want to come? I’m sure she’d love to see you, Y/N,” your mom said. You felt a pang of fear run through you. You had known deep down that your parents would forgive you for leaving. But Sarah? You had no idea how she would react. The two of you were best friends before you left. You knew you were crushed when you couldn’t see her anymore. She probably felt even worse since she didn’t know why.

Dean looked at you, trying to gauge how you were feeling. You gave him a small smile. “Sure, that sounds great, Mom.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, dear readers :)

You and Dean walked with your parents down the street to Sarah’s house. You felt the fear creeping in, and as if on cue, Dean grabbed your hand. You looked up at him and he gave you a reassuring wink.

You approached their big two-story house. Your mom and dad didn’t knock--just opening the front door and going in. You could hear giggles coming through the screen door at the back of the house. You felt your heart warm, knowing it was your nieces playing a game.

You walked with your parents and Dean to the kitchen, where you saw Sarah and her husband, Jake. Sarah was cutting up some celery, her very pregnant belly rubbing against the island. Jake was leaning against the counter, drinking a beer.

Sarah looked up when you came in. Her eyes went wide immediately, then quickly filled with hurt and anger.

_Oh no._

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I, uh…I’m back,” you responded, unable to meet her angry gaze.

“We’re gonna go say hi to the grandkids,” your dad said, pulling your mom out the back door with him.

Sarah continued to stare at you. You weren’t sure what to say, but Dean stepped in, introducing himself.

“Hey, I’m Dean. I’ve heard a lot about you, Sarah,” he said, reaching out a hand. Both Sarah and Jake shook hands with him. “That your Mustang out front?” He asked Jake.

“Yeah, it’s a 1965. The other love of my life,” Jake responded, winking.

“Nice. I’ve got a ’67 Chevy Impala of my own,” Dean said. “It’s just over at the Y/L/N’s if you want to see it.”

Jake took the hint. "Sure. Honey, we’ll be back in a few, okay?” Sarah nodded her head, not taking her eyes off of you. You were glad Dean knew to give you a few minutes alone with her to explain.

When they were gone, Sarah went back to chopping, a little faster and angrier than before. You walked up to the counter across the island from her.

“Listen, Sarah, I—“

“You left. You left with no explanation, no calls—not only did you leave me, but you left your nieces. They asked me all the time where you were and when you would come to visit again. Do you know how disappointed they were? I didn’t even know what to tell them because I didn’t know where you were,” Sarah said angrily.

“I know. And I’m sorry. You deserve the truth, and I’ll tell you—but you have to promise not to tell Mom and Dad. They just don’t need to know,” you said, shaking your head.

Sarah looked up at you, curiosity in her eyes. She nodded slightly.

“I’m sure you know that part of why I left was Jeff. But it wasn’t just that. He was abusive, Sarah. And I know what you’re thinking—why did I stay with him? I didn’t want to. But he threatened me, and he threatened our family. He was powerful. I didn’t know how to stop him. So I stayed. And I’m sorry--I’m so sorry that I left. I just didn’t know what else to do,” you explained, tears running down your face.

You looked up at Sarah, who also had tears in her eyes. She didn’t say anything.

“Listen, I understand if you can’t forgive me. I don’t even know if I forgive myself. If you want me to go, I will,” you said. Sarah still didn’t respond, and you turned to leave.

Next thing you knew, Sarah had wrapped her arms around you. The two of you could barely get your arms around each other since her stomach was so big.

"Of course I forgive you. I love you. I was just hurt. I know it wasn’t your fault,” Sarah said. “But ugh, I tell you what: my pregnancy hormones make me want to go kill that son-of-a-bitch,” she said, holding you by the shoulders.

You chuckled. “Well, he’s dead, so you really don’t need to worry about that. Besides, you gotta keep this little bug safe,” you said, placing your hand on her belly. “I was able to sneak on the internet now and then and I looked up your Facebook, so I knew you were pregnant. I didn’t know you were this far along though.”

"Yep, eight months. Next month couldn’t come sooner. I’m sorry, did you say dead?”

“Yes. It's a long story…but, I’m just glad it’s over,” you replied. You heard the front door open and Dean and Jake walked in, laughing about something car-related. You turned and smiled at Dean, letting him know things were okay.

“Let’s head out back, shall we?” Sarah said.

You opened the screen door and saw your mom and dad pushing the girls on the swing set. Sadie, who was five, was the first to see you and jumped from the swings immediately.

“Aunt Y/N! You’re here!” She yelled, jumping into your arms. You hugged her tight, placing your hand on her curly-haired head.

“Oh, I missed you Sadie girl!” You said.

Ava, the three-year-old, came toddling up to you, pulling on your pant leg. You knew she probably didn’t remember you as well, but there was recognition in her eyes as she smiled and held her arms out to be picked up. You did, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. She giggled, and kicked to get down.

“Oh my goodness, you two are so big!” They both smiled big.

“I’m a big girl now, Aunt Y/N! I’m five!" Sadie said, holding up five fingers.

“You are?" You noticed the girls eyeing Dean. “Girls, this is my friend, Dean.” Dean held his hand up in an adorable little wave.

“He’s so big! He’s even bigger than Grandpa!” Sadie said. You chuckled.

“He sure is. And you know what?” You whispered, kneeling down to their level. “He loves to be tackled.”

The girls got mischievous grins on their faces. Next thing you knew, they were running at Dean, who pretended to be bowled over by them, falling to the ground. The girls loved this, and continued play-wrestling with him. He would pick them up and spin them around, laughing the whole time.

You watched him, and felt your heart flutter at the sight. _Is there anything he isn't good at?_ Not only was he an amazing hunter, but he was funny, handsome, and apparently good with kids.

"Okay, okay, everyone go get washed up for dinner,” Sarah said. You watched as the family buzzed around, getting everything ready to eat. You smiled, glad to finally be home.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Dean

Dean was surprised at how well he had liked your family. Everyone was so easy to get along with. _I may actually have Jeff to thank for that_ , he thought. Wasn’t too hard to seem like a better person than him.

Dean had enjoyed getting to see this type of family and even be a part of it for a while—talking cars with Jake, telling your dad about hunting, playing with the most adorable girls on the planet…it was nice.

Dean looked over at you in the passenger seat of the Impala. It was dark now, the two of you having stayed at Sarah’s till past the girls’ bedtimes. They were sad when they heard that you were leaving, but you had promised to come visit again soon.

When Dean looked at you, he noticed in the streetlights that you had been staring at him. “What?” He asked.

“Nothing,” you said, smiling. “Just…thank you. Thank you for coming with me today. I really don’t think I could have done it alone. And it was great seeing you get along with my family.”

"It was? Why?" Dean asked.

“It just…was.” Dean could have sworn he saw your cheeks redden in the dim streetlights. He smiled, and reached his hand across the seat, palm up. You took it, which made his heart beat a little faster. He rubbed small circles on the top of your hand, enjoying the softness there. Soon, he felt your hand go limp and he turned to see you asleep with your head against the window. He smiled to himself.

_God, she looks so perfect when she sleeps. I love her._

Dean's eyes widened at the words he said in his head. _Love? I love her_?

The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was true. He didn’t know how much longer he could wait to make you his.

_As long as she needs,_ he thought to himself, and he knew he would wait forever if you asked him to.

 

* * *

 

  
You

You woke when Dean parked the car in the garage. You felt that you were still holding his hand and smiled before opening your eyes. You looked at Dean, who was watching you.

“Well good morning there, sleepyhead,” he said with a wink.

“Ha. Not exactly morning, but I’ll accept it.”

Dean smiled, and you watched him as he turned off the Impala and took the keys from the ignition. He had stubble lining his jaw again—your favorite. He had taken off his flannel shirt at your sister’s house after getting it dirty playing with the girls on the ground, leaving him in just a black v-neck. His muscles rippled out from the sleeves all the way down to his strong, calloused hands. His hair was perfectly tousled—though you knew he never actually did much to make it look like that.

Before you could really think about what you were doing, you climbed in Dean’s lap, straddling him. He looked up at you, surprised for a moment. Then lust filled his beautiful green eyes, turning them dark. You reached your hands up slowly to each side of his face, holding them there for just a moment. Dean hesitantly put his hands on your hips, his grip light.

Then you were kissing. Though, the word kissing doesn’t really do it justice. It was frantic—passionate. You moved your hands from his face, sliding them down his chest. His grip on your hips tightened, his hands squeezing and sliding around.

You slid your tongue around his bottom lip and he opened for you. Your tongues danced together wildly, and soon you were panting. You broke apart to catch your breath. Dean smiled, little lines appearing around his eyes.

“Should we take this inside?” You asked, still out of breath. Dean smiled again before opening the door to the Impala and carrying you inside. You giggled at his eagerness.

As Dean carried you down the hall, you passed the kitchen where you saw a flash of Sam standing there.

“About damn time,” he yelled after the two of you, chuckling.

“Shut up!” Dean yelled back, making you giggle again.

Dean took you to his room and kicked the door shut behind you. He bounced you down on the bed, climbing on it and coming up between your legs. Then his lips were on yours again, the same passion as before.

He moved his lips down your neck, lightly sucking and kissing as he went. He got to the swell of your breasts and you arched your back, wanting more. Dean slid his hand up your shirt and lightly cupped your breast over your bra, rubbing his thumb over your nipple. You reached down and pulled your shirt over your head before pulling his lips back to yours and wrapping your legs around him, enjoying the friction of his jeans against your center.

Dean reached behind you and unclasped your bra. He slid it down your arms, and you felt goosebumps raise on your skin from the chill of the air hitting your bare breasts.

“Shirt off,” you said hastily. Dean chucked and reached behind to pull off his shirt. He returned to you, putting his mouth on your nipple and sucking hard. You arched your back again, threading your hands in his hair.

“Dean,” you said, panting.

“I know, darlin’,” he said, running his hands down your abdomen. He dug his fingernails in just slightly, which drove you crazy. He backed himself down the bed until his face was in line with your center.

Dean reached for the button of your jeans, asking permission with his eyes. You nodded, biting your lip. He pulled your pants off in one quick motion.

Dean leaned back, taking your body in with lust in his eyes. “You, sweetheart, are perfection.”

You smiled, reaching up for him. You quickly pulled him down on the bed so you were on top of him.

“My turn,” you said, reaching for the button of his jeans. You pulled them off and saw his large cock straining against his boxers. You pulled his boxers down, taking him in your hand and slowly rubbing up and down.

“Fuck, darlin’,” he said, his eyes closing.

You sat back and pulled off your panties. “You clean?” You asked.

“Last I checked,” he said, watching your every move.

“Good. Cuz I am too, and I’m on the pill,” you said. With that, you quickly sank down on his length, shocking him with the movement.

“Y/N…oh God,” he said. You took a moment to adjust to his size before moving up and down. You placed your hands on his chest for balance, and he grasped your thighs with his large hands.

“Dean,” you panted, already feeling the pressure building. Dean flipped you over and began pounding into you, both of you needing release. He placed two fingers on your clit, rubbing in a way that brought you even closer to the edge. A string of obscenities fell from your lips and his as you came and your walls tightened around him. He came shortly after, his warmth filling you.

You both laid back on the bed, Dean opening his arm for you to snuggle in. You were both still panting, a sheen of sweat covering your bodies. You closed your eyes and reveled in the afterglow of your orgasm—the best one you’d ever had, you were pretty sure.

“That…was incredible,” Dean said, stroking your hair.

“Mmm,” you hummed, still unable to form words.

“You were something else,” he said, turning his head toward you. “Confident, sexy…and that body…”

You chuckled. “You aren’t so bad yourself, big boy,” you said in your most sultry voice. You both laughed. “Honestly, though, it’s never been like that before. Definitely not with Jeff, and not with anyone before him,” you said, your fingers drawing slow circles on his chest.

“I know what you mean. We better do it again, just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke,” Dean said, rolling over on top of you again.

It wasn’t a fluke. 


	19. Chapter 19

You stood at the stove making eggs and bacon for you and the boys. You heard some footsteps from behind you and turned to see Sam in his running clothes.

“Mornin’,” you said, turning back to the stove. “Go for a run already?”

“Yeah, not all of us can lay in bed all day,” he said. You felt yourself blush and gave him a glare.

“What can I say? The lovin’ was good.”

Sam fake gagged. "I so did not need to hear that.”

“Hear what? What a rock star I am in bed?” Dean said, coming into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around you while you continued to cook and kissed your neck.

"You know, I'm glad you two have finally admitted your feelings for each other, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to live with this,” Sam said, making a disgusted face.

You looked at him and started to laugh, then had a realization: you never asked if you could continue living with the boys. Your face dropped.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Dean asked, taking your face in his hands.

“Well…Sam brings up a good point. I guess I never really asked if it was okay if I stay here. I just sort of…imposed. I’m so sorry, guys. I can move back with my family if you want.”

“No,” Dean said with finality. You raised an eyebrow at him before looking at Sam.

“Y/N, I was kidding, I swear. I love having you here. Gives me someone to make fun of Dean with,” Sam said, walking over to you. He took you from Dean and hugged you. “You’re like the little sister I never had,” he said, squeezing you so hard you couldn’t breathe. He really was just a giant teddy bear.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Get your hands off my girl,” Dean said, snatching you back. You chuckled and pushed him away.

“Hey, it’s not that easy. You’re gonna have to work for it, buddy,” you said. Dean narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, I'll start now. Give me that spatula,” Dean said, taking it from you. He gave you a swat on the butt. “Go sit down. I’ll finish this up.”

You smiled at the sweet gesture. You were just giving him a hard time. Truth was, you were his. You suspected you were from the moment he sat down next to you at that bar in New Mexico.

 

* * *

 

 

  
“Take a look at this: man disappears, but not before killing his wife,” Sam said, reading an article from his laptop. You were all in the library, searching the internet for cases nearby.

“So what? Guy goes loco and kills his wife? What does that have to do with us?” Dean asked.

“Well apparently the guy sliced his wife’s neck, and the police found a goblet filled with her blood. Sound like demon possession to you?” Sam said.

“Yeah, they do like using the blood phone. Why don’t they just switch to cell phones already?” You asked, annoyed. Some innocent woman had to die because a demon was too cheap to pay for a burner phone.

“Alright, sounds like something from our neck of the woods. Wanna check it out?” Dean asked.

“Yes,” Sam replied, while you nodded your head.

“Okay, then lets head out in thirty. Y/N, I need to talk to you in my room,” Dean said. You figured you knew what was coming. You were going to get the ‘I don’t know if I want you to go hunting because I don’t want you to get hurt’ speech.

Dean pulled you eagerly down the hall by your hand and closed the door to his room behind you.

“Dean, I know what you’re—“ you started to say, turning toward him. Before you could finish the sentence he cut you off with a deep kiss.

You pulled back from him, pressing a hand to his firm chest. “What’re you doing?” You asked.

“I just bought us thirty minutes. Unless you wanted to do something else?” He responded.

Without answering, you pulled him back to you, kissing him hard. He got the message and returned it with fervor. He turned you around and pushed you up against the door, his hands sliding down your hips to cup your ass.

You wove your fingers through his hair as he kissed down your neck. You started to reach for his zipper when he grabbed your wrists, pinning them to your side.

“Nope,” he said with his mouth against your skin. “I wanna make you feel good, princess.”

With that Dean reached under your shirt and bra to palm your breasts. He pinched each nipple, causing an ache to form deep between your legs. You began panting, unable to control your breathing.

Dean slowly moved his way down your body until he was kneeling. He unbuttoned your jeans and slid them down your legs before hooking his long fingers in your lace panties and pulling them down as well. He kissed both your thighs, using his hands to spread your legs apart.

Suddenly, his mouth was on you. He licked one long swipe up your center before focusing on your clit. He swirled his tongue around and around, causing you to convulse, and put your hands on his shoulders for support.

"Oh, Dean,” you panted, placing your hands in his hair once again.

Dean added two fingers to your opening, making a ‘come here’ motion that hit you in just the right spot. You were getting closer and closer to the edge, his tongue still dancing around and driving you wild.

“Dean, I’m so close,” you said, hardly able to stand the pressure building.

“Come for me, baby,” he said. The vibration of his voice sent you tumbling over the edge, saying Dean’s name as you went.

You leaned against the door, spent. Dean brought himself back up till his lips were on yours again. You could taste yourself on him and it made you want to pleasure him as well. You reached for his jeans, only to be stopped again by his hands.

“I want to return the favor…” you said, pouting a little.

“No, darlin’. That was all for you. You can repay me some other time,” Dean said with a wink. He bent down and pulled your panties and jeans up, letting you button them.

"Now, go get packed. We’re leaving soon and we gotta go kick some demon ass,” Dean said, turning you toward the door. You opened it and headed to your room.

_How in the world did I get lucky enough to get a man that does that?_ You thought to yourself. You packed your bag, enjoying your afterglow while mentally preparing for another hunt.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the comments, beautiful readers!

You approached a cookie-cutter house in the suburbs of Kansas City. You never really liked neighborhoods like this—no character, crazy families that talk about each others’ lawns…so annoying. Not that everyone could live in a freaking awesome bunker like you got to.

Dean parked the car and you got out, stretching your back. You were in your FBI gear, a nice pantsuit and heels. You much preferred your other hunting gear, but you had to admit: you looked good.

Dean confirmed this by looking you up and down with a grin on his face. You rolled your eyes at him.

“Come on,” you said, grabbing his arm and following Sam up the sidewalk to the house. There was yellow caution tape over the front door, which you ducked under. There were police and forensics everywhere in the house.

“Sheriff Davis—we’re with the FBI. Agents Smith, Miller, and Meyer,” Dean said, as each of you displayed your fake FBI badges. Sheriff Davis, a tall man with a round belly, nodded at you and turned toward the living room.

“This is where we found her. Throat slit, big old goblet filled with her blood—husband no where to be found,” Davis said. “Not only that, but she was beaten to all hell.”

“Any leads on where he is?” Sam asked.

“We’re looking in to his credit cards, cell records, etcetera. Still waiting on those.”

“Alright. Well thanks, Sheriff. Let us know if you find anything else,” you said, placing your hand on his arm. He smiled gently, clearly enjoying your touch. Dean rolled his eyes behind the sheriff’s back.

"What?" You asked as the sheriff and other officers walked out the door.

“Was the arm touch really necessary?” Dean asked.

“Yes, it was. You just wait and see. A little touch or brush here and there, a little flirting…he’ll help us with whatever we need.”

Sam laughed at Dean’s annoyed expression. “She’s right, man. It was clear he was into her.”

Sam went into the living room to examine the scene. You were about to follow him when you felt Dean’s hand grab your arm, turning you toward him.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll have to remind you later that you belong to me,” he said, kissing your neck lightly.

You thought back to some very similar words Jeff had said to you. You thought hearing those words would bother you, but instead you smiled. The way Dean said it—the softness in his eyes, the hunger for your body, not for violence—you knew he would never mean it in the same way Jeff did.

“Mmm, maybe I’ll be reminding you instead,” you said, grabbing the lapels of his suit and feeling confident.

“Mmm,” Dean nearly growled, bending down to kiss your lips.

"Ahem, can we get to work, please?” Sam asked from the living room. “Look at this. Sulfur—not too surprising.”

“Alright, well, let’s find this sucker and get his ass back to hell,” Dean said, clapping his brother on the back.

 

* * *

 

  
Dean

With a little sweet-talking to the sheriff, you were able to get him to release the phone and credit card records directly to the three of you. This was exactly what you all had wanted. If the local cops went after this demon instead of you three, it would not end well.

Dean tried to contain his jealousy at your flirting with the man. He knew it was ridiculous—the sheriff had to be close to fifty and balding—not to mention you were way out of his league. You were way out of everyone’s league. _Including mine_ , Dean thought to himself.

The phone was a dead end—which Dean had figured would be the case. Why would he use the blood phone then take the dude’s cell? But, the demon’s credit card led to a gas station not too far from the house. The three of you went there, got the security tapes, and were able to see the license plate of the car he was driving. Sam whipped out his laptop, hacked into the street camera servers, and next thing Dean knew, he had a location.

The three of you approached a run-down house where the demon’s car was parked. You each had a demon knife at the ready, Dean in the front. Dean signaled that he was going to open the front door and you and Sam nodded.

Dean kicked open the door and saw a man standing there—he had clearly been waiting for you. He blinked and his eyes flashed a bright green color—something Dean had never seen in a demon before.

“Well, I’m glad you all found me,” he said. The man he possessed was an average-looking joe. He had short brown hair, was about six foot, and wore a business suit. Dean could tell the mook fit in with the suburbs well before he was possessed.

The three of you spread out in front of him, knives held at the ready. “Seems as though this was a little trap laid for us. What do you want?” Dean asked, venom in his voice.

“Oh, son, I want something very specific, and your little knives aren’t going to stop me,” he replied.

“I’ll take that bet,” Dean said, launching himself toward the demon. When he stopped he found he was slicing through thin air. He turned to see that the demon had appeared behind you and placed a hand on your shoulder.

“No!” Dean shouted. But it was too late: the demon had disappeared, taking you with him.

 


	21. Chapter 21

You

You opened your eyes and found that you had been transported somewhere by the demon. You were on a cliff, nothing but ocean in front of you.

You turned to look at the demon, who was sitting on a boulder, calmly looking at his fingernails.

“What do you want from me?” You asked, knife still held at the ready.

“Oh, my dear, it’s not _what_ I want. It’s who. And it’s you,” he responded, barely looking up.

“M-me? Why?”

“Ah, let me explain. You can put that little knife down. It won’t work on me,” he said, gesturing to your knife as he stood. “My name is Rahab. I'm not a demon. I’m an angel.”

You scoffed. “Angel my ass. Last I checked angels don’t make blood calls to hell.”

“True. But I’m not just any angel. I’m a fallen angel. My allegiance is no longer to heaven. It’s to hell—but I say that lightly, as it really is just to myself,” Rahab explained.

“Okay then, why do you want me?” You asked, backing up a little. You were right at the edge of the cliff and really had nowhere to go.

“Oh, my dear, I know all about you. You would be the perfect pet for me. You see, my name means violence. I fell from heaven, and this is what I became. The king of violence down here. And I have to tell you: you humans really tend to take care of most of the violence on your own. So, I’m bored. And I think you will entertain me.”

“And what makes you think I’m going to stay with you? Or that Sam and Dean will just let me go?” You asked, trying to think of a way out of this.

“They’ll let you go because you will convince them to do so. If not, I’ll rip them limb from limb. Then your family…and anyone else you’ve ever loved,” Rahab said, coming closer to you.

You couldn’t believe this was happening. You traded one psycho for a much more powerful one. You thought as hard as you could about how to get around this, but knew it was no use. An angel? You had no defense against an angel.

“What do I need to do?” You asked, your face blank.

“Good girl. I’m going to send you back to them, and you’re going to tell them that you killed me. You’ll go home, have a normal night, then leave a note and go in the middle of the night. I will come get you.”

“A note? You seriously think a note will work?” You asked.

“You better make it convincing. And no tipping off the brothers. I will be watching, and I will know.”

Your heart sank. You knew you had to do what he said, at least until you came up with a plan. You nodded your head.

“Alright. Then lets make this look believable, shall we?” He said, stroking your cheek.

He reached his hand back and slapped you so hard that you fell to the ground. You could feel your eye already swelling shut. He kicked you a few times in the ribs, then brought you back up to standing.

“Mmm, I sure do love the feeling that gives me,” he said, his eyes glowing green.

With your next blink, you were back at the abandoned house with Sam and Dean.

“Y/N! Oh, God, are you okay?” Dean asked, rushing to your side.

You nodded, not sure you could speak just yet.

“What happened?” Sam asked, helping Dean hold you up.

“I—I got him. He wanted to keep me but I got to him with the knife, and made him send me back. Just as he transported me, I threw the knife. I saw it hit him. He’s dead,” you said, spitting blood out of your mouth.

“Okay, sweetheart, let's get you home,” Dean said, scooping you up into his arms. You nuzzled your head there, treasuring every moment you had left with him.


	22. Chapter 22

You had stayed silent throughout the car ride back to the bunker, trying desperately to come up with a plan to get you out of what was coming. So far, you had nothing.

You couldn't believe you were in this situation again.

_Is there a neon sign that says ‘victim’ on my forehead?_

When you arrived home, you got out of the car and held Dean’s hand as you walked down the hall to your room. Sam said goodnight, and you let go of Dean’s hand briefly to give him a hug since you didn’t know when you’d see him again.

Sam hugged you back, a little confused, but didn’t say anything. You followed Dean into his room and sat on the bed.

"You okay, darlin'?" He asked.

You gave him a small smile. You knew if you let on at all that anything was wrong he would try to get it out of you, and he wouldn’t let you go. You couldn’t let that happen, not when you had an angel on your ass.

“I’m fine. Come here,” you said, holding out your hand. You pulled Dean down on the bed with you, kissing him lightly. He took the hint and laid back in the bed with you, kissing you back. You kept the pace slow but still passionate this time. You wanted to savor every moment with Dean. For all you knew, you could be dead soon.

Dean rolled you over so he was on top of you. You slowly stripped out of your shirt and bra. You reached down and removed your pants and underwear as well. When you were completely naked, Dean ran his eyes up and down your body. You squirmed a little under his stare.

Dean took off his own clothes, watching you the entire time. Then, he was back, positioning himself at your entrance. You grasped onto his shoulders, readying yourself for him.

He slowly pushed inside you, filling you completely. He gave you a moment to once again adjust to his size before pulling out slowly and pushing back in at the same pace.

The sex was tender and heartfelt…just what you needed. As you got closer to climax, you felt your eyes starting to well with tears. You ignored them, pushing them back and focusing on how Dean was making you feel.

He looked deep into your eyes as you both got closer to coming. You started to moan, and he picked up his pace. You felt your walls clenching around him and knew you were close. Dean bent down and kissed you everywhere: your nose, cheeks, shoulder, chest, and breasts. He placed his fingers on your clit which sent you over the edge, your orgasm a slow burn this time. As you reveled in your aftershocks, Dean continued to push and pull in and out of you until he reached his own climax.

Dean laid down next to you, looking into your eyes. You tried to smile, but only felt the feeling of loss you knew was coming in a few short hours.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dean asked, concern in his eyes.

You smiled. “Yes, I’m sure.”

He smiled back. “Y/N…I love you.”

You were surprised at the words, but could tell that he meant them. You knew that you felt the same. You were afraid to say it back, though, as you knew it would just make things harder when you left.

_He deserves to know._

“I love you, too, Dean.”

Dean's entire face lit up in a smile, and he pulled you close, kissing you deeply. You snuggled in next to him, trying to keep yourself from crying—at least until Dean fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

  
When Dean was asleep, you crawled out of bed, careful not to wake him. You pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, not too concerned about your wardrobe for that son-of-a-bitch.

You took out a pad of paper and a pen, ready to write the cursed note. You tried to think of a way to hint at where you were, but knew that Rahab would see it. So you did what you had to.

_Dean,_

_What I said earlier is true. I do love you. But I have to go. I can’t do this, and I’m so sorry. I will never forget the words we shared in our bed, between the sheets. Don’t come looking for me. This is for your own good._

_I will always love you,_

_Y/N_

You folded the note and put the pen in your pocket. You walked back to the bed, placing the note on your pillow. You crawled between the sheets one more time, wanting to watch Dean sleep for just a little longer. You lay with your hands at your side, looking at his long eyelashes and peaceful sleeping form.

After a few minutes, you got up quietly and walked out the door, tears falling down your cheeks. You stood outside the bunker.

“Alright. I’m ready.” You heard a light rustle of wings and you were gone.

 


	23. Chapter 23

Dean

The second Dean woke he knew something was wrong. He could feel that your presence wasn’t next to you—but it was different than if you had gone to the kitchen or bathroom. There was an emptiness there that Dean could feel.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to see a note on your pillow.

_Please let her just have gone to the store or something._

Dean opened the letter and read. He shot up from the bed, throwing open his door.

"Sam! Sammy, get up!" He yelled as he tore through the bunker looking for you.

“Dean, what is it?” Sam asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes with hair sticking up in all directions.

Dean rushed past him, shoving the note in his hands. “It’s Y/N, she’s gone. She’s gone, Sammy,” he said, checking every room off the main hallway.

Sam read the note. “What? Why would she do this?” He asked, still standing in the middle of the hallway.

“I don’t know, man. We had a good night last night. We said I love you,” Dean said, stopping to talk to Sam while running his hands anxiously through his hair.

“Wow, that’s a big deal for you,” Sam said.

“I know, man, and probably an even bigger deal for her! I must have scared her away!”

“Dean, this just doesn’t make sense. I saw the two of you together, it’s clear she loves you. And yeah, maybe she was scared before, but think about how much she's changed since she came to live here. She wouldn’t just run away, she’d talk to you about it.”

“Y—Yeah, I guess you’re right. I don’t even know where to look for her…” Dean said, shaking his head and looking at the floor.

Sam put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “We’ll find her man, okay? Let’s just take this one step at a time. You call Cas, and I’ll call her family. Surely someone knows where she is.”

“Okay—okay,” Dean said, trying to calm himself enough to dial the phone. If you left and it was his fault, he would never forgive himself. He just hoped he didn’t scare you away.

 

* * *

 

 

You

You sat on the floor of a fancy hotel room, beaten and bloody. Apparently, Rahab liked to keep his victims contained in the nicest accommodations possible.

The second Rahab had transported you here, the beating began. He got off on it, that’s for sure. Every punch, every kick, every slap—there was a smile on his face. He would bring you to the brink of unconsciousness, then, when you were just about to feel the sweet relief of the darkness, he would heal you just enough to keep going.

He would leave for hours at a time—presumably doing whatever duties he had as a higher-up in Hell—and leave you in the hotel room. There was no way out—no doors or windows.

Rahab had left you alone again. You hugged your knees to your body and closed your swollen eyes.

_This is worth it. It is. They’ll get my message. They will find me, and they will find a way to kill Rahab. Until then, this will keep them safe._

You repeated the words like a mantra in your head. The thought of keeping Sam and Dean safe was really the only thing that kept you going. And when things were hard and you wanted to give up, you thought that it could be possible for Rahab to accidentally go too far and kill you.

That was only when you wanted to give up, though.

You heard the rustle of wings and knew he was back without even looking up. You felt him place a hand on your shoulder, and all the pain you were feeling went away. You opened your eyes and saw that all the blood was gone.

“Is that better, my pet?” Rahab asked, his eyes glowing green again as he gazed down upon you.

You didn’t respond, your hatred for the angel evident in your face.

“Oh, come now, surely you’re not ignoring me?” He asked.

“Why bother healing me? You’re just going to do it again,” you responded, your voice even.

“Oh because, my pet, a clean canvas is so much better to work on. Now, I have some lovely new torture in store for you today.”

Rahab snapped his fingers and you were bound to a flat table, naked.

You pulled against the bindings but knew it was useless. You looked up at Rahab who was standing next to the table, a long blade in his hand.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I know it was a cliffhanger, here's the second post for today. I love you, Supernatural nerds! :)

Dean

Dean paced the room for the millionth time. Your family hadn’t seen you. Cas looked everywhere and found nothing. If you had left on your own, he would have at least seen you living your life without Dean somewhere else. But you were gone. Almost as if you were hidden.

“Dean,” Sam said from his seat at the table in the library. Dean kept walking, mumbling quietly to himself.

“Dean. Dean!” Dean was stopped from his pacing by Sam’s big hands on his shoulders.

“What?”

“We’re gonna find her, man. You gotta calm down,” Sam said, looking at Dean with concern in his eyes.

Dean felt a wall in him fall down. He felt the tears that he always tried to keep at bay well up in his eyes.

“It’s my fault, Sammy,” he said, his voice breaking.

“Dean—“

“No, it is. It always is. Why do you think she’s the first one I’ve ever said ‘I love you’ to? Because if I get as close to anyone as I did to her, they get hurt! I should have known,” Dean said, hanging his head.

“No. I won’t let you blame yourself for this,” Sam said, taking his brother’s face in his hands. “I don’t know what made her leave. But I know it wasn’t you.” He made Dean look at him again. “Okay?”

Dean closed his eyes and nodded. Sam released him, patting him on the back. “Okay. Let’s look at her note again—just make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

“Sam, we’ve read that thing like a million times. There isn’t anything new there,” Dean said, exasperated. He really didn’t want to relive the goodbye any more.

“ _I can’t do this, and I’m so sorry,_ ” Sam read.

“Yeah, yeah, I told you, the same.” Dean replied, hanging his head.

“ _I will never forget the words we shared in bed, between the sheets._ ”

Dean’s head popped up at the phrase. It hadn’t struck him as odd before, since he was so focused on the leaving part.

“Sammy—that sound weird to you?” He asked.

“What do you mean? I mean, it’s pretty dramatic, but it’s not that weird,” Sam replied.

“That’s just it, though. Y/N was nearly beaten to death and refused to be dramatic about it, even when she had a free pass to be.”

“Okay, so what are you saying?” Sam asked, still confused.

“I’m saying my baby left us a clue.” Dean turned and started jogging toward his room, Sam close on his heels.

He pulled back the covers to bed, his eyes frantically scanning the white sheets beneath.

“Dean, there!” Sam said, pointing to a spot partially covered by the blankets. Dean threw them off the rest of the way to see what it was.

_Rahab_.

“Rahab? Who the hell is Rahab?” Dean asked, looking at Sam.

“I don’t know…come on,” he said, leaving the room. The brothers headed back to the library and sat down at Sam’s laptop.

“Rahab—the hooker of Jericho?” Sam read from his search, confused.

"Why in the hell would a dead hooker abduct Y/N?” Dean asked, his brows furrowed.

“I don’t know, but I do know who might have an idea.” Sam closed his eyes. “Castiel, we need you. We may have a lead on Y/N, but we need your help,” he prayed, his hands held out.

There was a rustle of wings behind Dean and he turned to see Cas in his usual trench coat and tie.

"You prayed?" Cas asked, walking toward the brothers.

“Yeah, Cas. Y/N left us a clue—Rahab. We looked it up and got ‘the hooker of Jericho.’ Any idea what a dead hooker would want with Y/N?” Dean asked.

Cas tilted his head in the usual way he did when he was contemplating something. “Well,” he began in his gravelly voice, “I don’t know why a deceased prostitute would want her, but there is another Rahab of which I know.”

“Really? Who?” Sam asked.

“Rahab was once an angel. He was cast out of heaven for his sin of pride. He fell to earth where he met and conspired with demons. Eventually, his anger toward God and heaven made him obsessed with violence. If he couldn’t get revenge on God, he would hurt the things God loved most,” Cas explained.

“Okay, so we got a rogue angel that’s working for Hell?” Dean asked.

“That would make sense. We followed a demon a few days ago. Maybe it wasn’t a demon. Maybe it was Rahab,” Sam said.

“Yeah, but Y/N killed him with the knife,” Dean said.

“Rahab would not be able to be killed by the demon knife. He would need to be killed by an angel blade,” Cas said.

“But why would Y/N lie? Why wouldn’t she tell us when she came back so we could kill him with the blade?” Dean asked.

“Dean—we never told her about the angel blade. Jeff sure as hell didn’t know about it. As far as Y/N knows, there is no way to kill an angel. She probably agreed to this because he threatened her!” Sam said.

"No. She agreed because he threatened _us_ ,” Dean said. He knew that was the only way you would voluntarily leave. It was the same thing you had done for your family.

Realization dawned on Cas and Sam’s faces. “Okay, so how do we find him, Cas?” Sam asked.

“It will be difficult to find him. He’s an angel, so he knows how to ward against being found. I will start searching immediately.” With that Cas was gone.

“Okay, well what are we supposed to do?” Dean yelled to no one.

"We just have to wait, Dean. Don’t worry. We’re gonna find her,” Sam said.

“Yeah, but how will she be when we do?” Dean asked. He just hoped they didn’t figure it out too late. 


	25. Chapter 25

You

 

“ _Y/N, sweetheart, wake up. I’m here. You’re gonna be okay,” Dean said, stroking your head. You opened your eyes and smiled._

_“Mmm, I knew you would come.”_

_"I'm here, baby. I’m gonna take you home,” he said, lightly kissing your head._

_You smiled. Something felt wrong, though. You were still in pain, but the throbbing was somehow distant. You looked at your body and saw that you were still strapped to the table._

_“Dean, you have to get me out of this,” you said. You looked up at Dean, but when you did, you gasped. His eyes were glowing green like Rahab’s._

_“Let’s have some fun.”_

You woke gasping.

You looked down and saw that you were indeed still strapped to the table, but Dean was no longer there. You were alone in the hotel room again.

Every breath and every movement sent pain throughout your entire body. Some of the cuts Rahab had made with the blade were bleeding again ( _or still bleeding? Not sure_.) You weren’t sure how long it had been since he had taken you. Hours, days, weeks—none of it mattered. The pain was constant regardless of time.

You had tried praying to Cas many times, but you were sure that Rahab was somehow blocking communication. He was an angel once, after all.

Your only respite was to think of the people you loved: your family, Sam, Cas, and of course, Dean.

You closed your eyes and took yourself to them again. Your nieces running around in the backyard…Sam and Dean laughing at something you said…you and Dean in bed, exploring each other’s bodies.

You heard the tell-tale sound of wings and knew he was back.

“Ready for more fun, my dear?” Rahab asked.

You didn’t respond. You knew no amount of pleading would change anything. You had decided a while ago to just take the pain with whatever dignity you had left.

“I’d like to try something. Let’s see how much you can stand without dying, shall we?”

You squeezed your eyes shut, knowing this would be the worst yet.

“And darling, don’t go into the light. If you do, I’ll just bring you back, you see?”

Rahab undid your binds and pushed you to the floor. You laid there in a crumpled heap, unable to move. You knew there would be no healing you from here on out. He would kick, punch, prod, and stab until you were at the brink of death…then bring you back just enough to continue.

Anger flared through you. While there was no way out of this, you weren’t going to become some crying, pleading mess like you would have with Jeff.

With all the strength you had left you lifted both hands toward Rahab, middle fingers outstretched, and said, “Fuck. You.” His lips curled in a snarl, and you didn’t remember anything but pain after that moment.

 

* * *

 

Dean

Dean felt like he hadn’t slept for days. He had been waiting for word from Cas about where you were, but had only gotten disappointing news so far.

He sat in the library in one of the chairs, his head in his hands.

"How you holding up?” Sam asked, handing Dean a beer.

“Ugh. I feel like hammered crap.”

“Yeah, probably because you haven’t slept in what, a few days?” Sam replied, sitting next to him.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to miss anything, so sleep isn’t really an option.”

“Dean, staying awake isn’t going to get her home any faster. Plus, what if Cas finds her and we need to go into fight mode? You’re so tired that you would be useless.”

“Geez, man, be honest why don’t you?” Dean said.

Sam chuckled. “I just want you to take care of yourself. Go get some rest. If I hear anything, I swear I’ll wake you up right away.”

Dean sighed. "Alright. But seriously, right away.” Dean got up from the chair, almost swaying on his feet from exhaustion. He got to his room and fell into bed, your face swimming in his vision as he fell asleep almost immediately.

 

* * *

 

 

“Dean. Dean!”

Dean woke from a dreamless sleep to Sam shaking his shoulders. “What, what’s going on?” He said groggily.

“We gotta go. Cas found her!”

Dean shot up from his bed, still a little out of it. He grabbed his duffel that he had already filled with all the essentials: Holy oil, lighters, and two angel blades.

“Let's go fry us up a fallen angel.”


	26. Chapter 26

You

You fell in and out of consciousness whenever Rahab was gone. You kept your mind on those closest to you--and you usually saw them standing before you. You would smile and talk to them sometimes. You knew talking to yourself was probably not a good sign, and maybe it meant you were insane—but at the same time, it was possible that it was the only thing that kept you from giving up.

 

* * *

 

  
Dean

Cas had called Sam and told him that Rahab was keeping you in a building off the coast of Ecuador. He wasn’t able to see into it as it was warded against him, so he couldn’t tell how you were…or if you were still alive.

The plan was for Cas to zap Dean and Sam to right outside the building, where they would go in and try to destroy the sigils keeping him out. That way, they could have Cas as backup against Rahab.

Dean was pacing around the kitchen, waiting for Cas to show up. He heard the flutter of wings behind him, and turned around to face Cas.

“Okay, let’s go,” Dean said, not wanting to waste any time.

“Dean, hang on a second. We need to know what we’re walking into here,” Sam said from the table.

“Sam is right. Rahab is very powerful. I was able to find him by keeping an eye on all the violent deaths in the world. Many of them were done by other humans, but the truly grotesque ones were clearly the work of Rahab. I saw him leaving one scene and followed him to the location he has Y/N.”

“Okay, why does this matter? We have the angel blade. We can take him down,” Dean said, still annoyed they hadn’t left yet.

“Dean, Rahab is probably the most skilled fighter that has ever existed. If you think you will be able to just sneak up on him and stab him, you’re wrong. What we’re about to do is very dangerous,” Cas replied.

“Ugh, I don’t care! I want to go get Y/N. I _need_ to go get her. I need her to be okay.”

Cas looked at Dean with concern in his eyes. The angel didn’t always understand human emotions, but Dean could tell that he understood how important you were to him.

“Okay. Let’s go,” Cas said, grasping both brothers’ shoulders. Dean blinked and found himself outside a large brick building surrounded by rainforest. Without looking at Cas or Sam, he hiked his bag up on his shoulder and marched to the entrance. It was time to kill this fucker and bring you home.

 


	27. Chapter 27

Dean

Sam and Dean entered the building, angel blades at the ready. When he took a few steps in, he saw an open room with dirty and scratched hardwood floors. It looked as if it had once been a ballroom, but had fallen into disrepair. An old chandelier hung from the ceiling, dusty and slightly askew. In front of them there was a wide staircase with red carpeting that was brown in many spots and torn.

Around the entire perimeter of the room, there were sigils written in either blood or paint on the walls. Dean looked at Sam, his brow furrowed.

“Sammy, you destroy these sigils,” Dean said, tossing a can of spray paint to his brother. “I’m gonna keep going.”

“Dean, you really shouldn’t go alone. He might even already know we’re here!” Sam said, barely able to keep his voice below a yell.

“I don’t care. I’m going. Get to work!” With that, Dean began climbing the long staircase stealthily.

When he reached the landing, he saw a long hallway to his right with closed doors every couple of feet. He began his trek down the hallway, opening doors as he went. Every room he peered into was a rundown hotel room. The beds were covered in dust, the mirrors broken, and the smell of mold was almost overpowering.

When he got halfway down the hall, Dean heard movement behind him. The little hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he knew it wasn’t Cas or Sammy. Dean turned on his heel and plunged the angel blade into the chest of a woman who looked to be about mid thirties. Her eyes and mouth flickered orange before she dropped to the ground, dead.

Dean removed his blade from her and looked up to see two more demons approaching. “So, you demon lackeys take orders from an angel? Isn’t that kind of…pathetic in the demon world?”

The demons inside the two men in front of him both flashed their eyes black, easily angered by his comments. The one on the right—a short man with a balding head of blonde hair—stepped toward him. “You better shut your mouth if you know what’s good for you, Winchester. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s two of us and one of you,” he said, his lips curling into a sneer.

“I’ve beaten worse odds,” Dean said. He lunged forward, punching the smug demon in the face and sending him flying backward. This gave Dean the chance to focus on killing the other demon.

The tall demon on the left let out a growl and ran forward, landing a punch to Dean’s gut. He doubled over for just a moment to catch his breath. The demon took the bait and came toward him again. Before he knew what was happening, though, Dean had straightened up and stabbed him with the blade, his eyes flickering orange like the demon before him. He pulled the blade out and looked up again. The short, balding demon was smoking out.

“Fucking coward,” Dean said, wiping the blade on his jacket. He turned and continued down the hall, checking each room again.

Three doors down from the end of the hall, Dean found a heavy wooden door that was locked. He knew this was probably the one you were in. He stepped back for a moment before lifting his boot and kicking the door in.

When the door opened, Dean saw that the room looked just like the others, only clean and new. He walked in slowly, blade still at the ready. Nothing, though, could prepare him for what he saw next.

You were on the floor near the far side of the room. You were naked, and at first glance all Dean saw was red covering your body.

It was blood.

There were cuts on almost every inch of your skin. Any part that wasn’t cut was swollen, bruised, or had a bone sticking out in a way it wasn’t supposed to. Dean rushed to your side, kneeling next to you.

He couldn’t tell yet if you were alive. You were not moving—either sleeping or unconscious, he hoped. Dean placed his fingers on your neck to try to find a pulse and felt the faintest thrumming there.

“Ah, I knew you would come eventually,” a snide voice said from behind Dean.

Dean turned, ready to murder the asshole that did this to you. Before he could come after Rahab, though, he was pushed by an invisible force against the wall.

“Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 200 kudos! Thank you so much, beautiful people :)

Dean

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Dean said, struggling to move.

“I had no doubt that you would show up and try to save the day. Stupid, stupid, boy,” Rahab replied.

“What makes you think I won’t?” Dean asked, venom in his voice.

“Well, by the looks of it, you’re going to die instead.”

“I’ve gotten out of worse,” Dean said.

“Dean, Dean, Dean,” Rahab began, pacing the room. “I don’t think you understand who I am. You see, I don’t even have to lift a finger to hurt you. For example,” he said, casting his eyes toward Dean.

Dean immediately felt the pain of his arm being broken. “Agh, you bastard!” He yelled, still trying to free himself from the invisible force.

“There’s much more where that—“ Rahab began. He was cut off by Sam and Cas throwing open the door to the room. Sam tackled the angel before he had time to react, and Dean felt himself slip from the wall. Cas ran over to him, touching his arm to heal him.

Once Dean was healed, he immediately got up and ran over to Sam and Rahab, ready with his blade. Rahab threw Sam off of him, sending him to the other side of the room where he crashed into the wall and fell to the floor.

Dean lunged for Rahab but was also thrown back, hitting his head on the same wall as Sam. He was seeing stars and having trouble getting up.

Dean looked up and saw Cas walking toward Rahab.

“Oh, hello there, brother,” Rahab said, turning toward Cas.

“I am not your brother. You are an abomination,” Cas replied, mirroring Rahab’s circling dance around the room.

“Oh, but don’t you think we are the same? Disobeying orders? Walking the earth? I think we are more similar than you realize,” Rahab replied.

Cas turned his head to Dean, who got the message easily. Cas disappeared and reappeared behind Rahab. Cas grabbed him by the arms and held him in place while Dean got up and ran over. He quickly plunged it into him.

“We are not alike,” Cas said as a bright light began to shine from Rahab’s body. With a loud shriek, Rahab burst into light and Cas dropped him to the ground.

“Nice work, Cas,” Dean said, walking over to give Sam a hand to help him up.

“Is she…?” Sam began.

Dean turned toward Cas. “She has a pulse but just barely. Can you heal her?”

Cas walked over to you, bending down and gently placing two fingers to your forehead. “She is very severely injured. Because of it being done by an angel, I’m afraid there isn’t anything I can do right now.”

“What? Cas, come on, you have to fix her!” Dean said, bending down next to you as well.

“I can take you to a hospital. Until she begins healing the deepest wounds by herself, I cannot do much else. I’m sorry.”

Dean looked at you and gently stroked your face. You opened your eyes, which were still glazed over.

“Y/N, sweetheart? It’s me. I’m here. You’re going to be okay,” Dean said, looking you in the eyes.

“Mmm, you’re back,” you said, your voice scratchy.

_Back_? Dean thought to himself. He knew you were really out of it.

“I’m here, because of your note, smart girl. We’re gonna get you to a hospital and you’re gonna be okay,” he said, trying to get you to focus on his face.

“Mmm,” you said, closing your eyes again. You lost consciousness.

“Cas, come on, we gotta get her there now. I don’t know how much longer she’ll make it,” Dean said, panic clouding his mind.

“Okay. Hold on,” Cas said, grasping the three of you. Dean just hoped you weren’t too far gone to be helped.


	29. Chapter 29

You

You spent days in darkness. Every time you would come close to consciousness, you would back off, afraid that you would wake to the horrible nightmare that had become your life.

Every now and then you could hear sounds around you: voices whispering to each other, machines making odd sounds you couldn’t place, your own even breaths. You thought you heard Dean’s voice a few times, but you were sure you were just imagining him again.

You were coming near consciousness again, but some new things caught your attention this time. The way you were breathing was odd…too perfectly even. It was also effortless, but not in the way it is when you unconsciously breathe every day.

There were also the things you could hear the imaginary Dean saying to you. Instead of saying he was going to save you or get you away from Rahab, he kept asking you to fight.

_Fight what? Rahab? I can’t win against him._

Confused, you hid in the comfort of the darkness once more.

 

* * *

 

  
Dean

“It’s been a week, Cas. Why hasn’t she woken up?” Dean asked, sitting at your bedside where he had been almost constantly for the past seven days.

“Dean, I’m afraid I don’t know. Her body is healing slowly. However, I think at this point she has to make a decision,” Cas responded from his spot near the door.

“What decision?” Dean asked.

“Whether or not she wants to live.”

“Of course she wants to live! She has to!” Dean exclaimed. Sam stood up from his spot on the couch in the hospital room and walked over to Dean.

“Maybe she doesn’t know that she has a choice,” he said, looking between Cas and Dean.

Cas tilted his head. “Yes, maybe she doesn’t know she is safe, or that she could pull through this.”

“Well then how do we tell her?” Dean asked.

“I believe I can put you in her mind to talk to her. But Dean, I must warn you: you have to let her make the decision. If you bring her out of this and she doesn’t want to live, things will get very messy,” Cas explained.

“I know. I’ll let her choose, but I gotta try, man,” Dean responded. He knew in his heart that given the decision, you’d come home to him.

“Okay, then hold still,” Cas said, placing his fingers on your forehead and his.

 

* * *

 

  
You

The darkness lifted and you were back in the bunker. You were sitting in your favorite chair in the library when you heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

“Dean!” You exclaimed, running to him the moment you saw him.

“Hey there, beautiful. I’ve missed you,” he said, snuggling his face in your hair.

You pulled back to look at his face. “Where have you been?” You asked.

“It’s you that’s been gone, darlin’,” he said, looking into your eyes.

You scrunched your brow in confusion. “What do you mean? I’ve been here the whole time.”

“None of this is real, Y/N. I think you know that,” Dean said, looking around the room.

You looked around too, and noticed that the edges of the room were fuzzy. “Are you real?” You asked, touching Dean’s face softly with your fingers.

“I am. Cas brought me here to talk to you. It seems you have a decision to make.”

“What decision?” You asked, still trying to piece everything together.

“To live or die.” Dean had sadness in his eyes. When you looked into them, everything came back to you. You gasped and held your hand to your mouth.

“Oh, God. Oh God…I remember,” you said, looking at Dean who was nodding his head.

“I think you know what I want you to do, darlin’. I love you, and I want to spend forever with you. But it’s your decision, and I’ll respect whatever you choose.” Dean leaned forward and kissed your forehead. When he stepped back, he smiled lightly and was gone.

You had to decide whether to live or die.

_Why is this even a hard decision?_

Obviously, you loved Dean—and your family, Sam, and Cas—and you wanted to go back to be with them. But, at the same time, to be released from all the pain you’ve been feeling, the pain of your past, everything…it was tempting.

And you were tired. Protecting your family—both biological and chosen—had weighed on you in ways you hadn’t ever really considered. It felt like danger sought you out, and you weren’t sure you wanted to go back to that again.

You thought of your family: your nieces’ giggles, your sister’s round belly and loving smile, your parents’ welcoming hugs. It all seemed impossible to give up.

Then you thought of Sam and Dean. Sam’s laugh when you made fun of Dean, Dean’s soft lips and perfect kisses, the way he made you feel every day.

You knew what your decision was. The people in your life were worth every ounce of pain you were going to go through, and they would be for the rest of your life.

It was time to wake up.

 


	30. Chapter 30

Dean

From the second Dean was back in his own head, he had been watching you. He waited, suddenly not so sure what you would choose.

Another day went by with no changes.

"Why is this taking so long? I just want to know either way,” Dean said, still holding your hand and touching his forehead to it.

“I don’t know, man. It’s gonna be okay, you know?” Sam said, trying in vain to comfort his brother.

Dean let out a long sigh, then placed a small kiss on your palm.

“Dean. Dean!” Sam said. Dean looked at Sam and saw him nod toward you.

Dean turned his head toward your beaten and battered body and saw your eyelids begin to flutter. The machine measuring your heartbeat started beeping quickly. Your eyes opened wide, full of panic.

“Y/N, sweetheart, look at me,” Dean said, hovering over you so you could see him. You started to gag from the tube that was down your throat. Your eyes darted around the room wildly. Dean placed his hands on your face to get your attention.

“Look at me, darlin’. You have to listen. You have a tube down your throat that’s helping you breathe. You have to relax and let it do its job until they can take it out. Just let it work, sweetheart, relax.”

Your heartbeat began to slow down. You gagged a few more times before letting the machine do its job.

“Sam, go get the doctor and tell her she’s awake!” Dean said. Sam immediately left the room to go find someone.

Dean turned his attention back to you, stroking your hair. “I’m glad you decided to stay, baby girl.”

You blinked a few times and Dean saw a few tears roll down your cheeks. Dean kissed them away.

“Do you hurt? One blink yes, two blinks no,” Dean said. You blinked once, and Dean continued to stroke your head. “They’ll be in soon, and they’ll take care of you. You’re going to be okay.”

You looked at Dean, fighting to keep your eyes open. “Rest, darlin’. Just don’t leave me again,” Dean said, smiling. You closed your eyes and Dean watched you until Sam brought the doctor in. She asked Dean to move while she worked on weaning you off the breathing tube. Dean stayed as close as he could, holding your hand the whole time.

He wasn’t going to let you go any time soon.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  
You

Today was the day you finally got to go home. You had been in the hospital for nearly a month. As soon as you were able to get out of your bed, you had worked every day with the physical therapist to get back to even walking on your own.

Also, walking was a bit of an overstatement. You had a broken leg, three broken ribs, a broken jaw, broken wrist, and seven broken fingers. So you weren’t so much walking as you were hobbling down the halls of the hospital with crutches and the support of the physical therapist.

Your mouth had been wired shut for a few weeks after they removed the breathing tube so your jaw could heal. When it was finally removed, you talked for nearly an hour straight without pausing, just because you could. Dean laughed and listened to you the entire time.

Sam and Dean had been amazing throughout your recovery. They were at the hospital almost all the time, and you often had to force Dean to go home and get some real sleep. Most nights, though, he had slept with you in your small hospital bed, holding you and whispering sweet words until you fell asleep.

But today you finally got to go back to the bunker with the boys. You were able to walk on your own now with the use of crutches. Cas was able to heal some of the more superficial wounds on your face and skin, so you at least didn’t look like a zombie anymore.

You sat in the back seat of the Impala with your leg propped up, smiling to yourself and humming along with the radio.

“Listen, Y/N, there’s something we need to tell you,” Dean said, turning the radio down. You looked at his concerned face staring back at you in the rear view mirror.

"What, what is it?” You asked, scared to hear the answer.

“Well, when you were in the hospital we had to talk to your family a bit—make sure they knew what was happening. We told them to wait to see you because we knew how bad you looked. We wanted to wait and see if there was anything Cas could do first,” Sam explained.

"Okay..." you started, wondering where this conversation was going.

“We talked to your sister about a week ago. She was going into labor,” Dean said. His face looked braced for anger, which was the correct position.

“What?!” You exclaimed. “She went into labor and you didn’t tell me?”

“We knew if we told you that you would want to leave the hospital, and we couldn’t let you do that,” Sam said, turning from the front seat to give you puppy dog eyes.

You heaved a deep sigh and rolled your eyes. Though you didn’t like it, they were right. “Okay, well, I want to go see them, NOW.”

“We’re already half-way there,” Dean said, smiling at you. You weren’t quite ready to let him off the hook yet, but you gave him a small smile back.

When you pulled up to your sister's house, you felt your heart flutter in excitement. Dean helped you out of the car and you hobbled your way up to the front door, opening it and walking right in.

“Hello? There’s an aunt here that’s dying to see her nieces!” You called into the house.

The two oldest girls came running, heading right toward you like they wanted to jump in your arms. Luckily, Dean intercepted them, catching them both and lifting them up.

“Hey pretty girls,” he said while they both giggled and tried to get away. “Listen, we have to be extra gentle around aunt Y/N, okay? See that cast on her leg? She broke it.”

“Oh no, aunt Y/N, are you gonna be okay?” Sadie asked from over Dean’s shoulder.

“I’ll be fine, sweet pea. Just gotta be careful for a while.” You turned toward Sam, who had an amused look on his face seeing his brother getting along so well with the girls. “This is Dean’s brother, Sam.”

“Wow. You’re even bigger than Dean!” Sadie exclaimed.

You hobbled a little closer to her, whispering loud enough so that Sam could hear you. “You know, he likes to be tackled even more than Dean. He’s easier to tackle, too!”

The girls got mischievous grins on their faces once again and Dean let them down. The ran after Sam, tackling him in the living room where he pretended they were much stronger than him.

“I thought I heard your voice,” Sarah said, coming into the foyer.

“Is this the newest bundle of joy?” You asked, looking at the baby in your sister’s arms.

“Yes, this is Emma. Emma, meet your aunt Y/N,” she said, angling her so that you could get a better look.

“Oh, she’s beautiful, Sarah.” The baby had the same hair and eyes as her mother, but her father’s other facial features. She let out a small coo in her sleep.

“Do you want to hold her?” Sarah asked.

“Sure, but I have to sit first. Dean, could you bring her to me over on the couch?” You asked.

Dean took the baby in his arms while you went over to the couch. Once you were seated, you looked up. Emma was awake now, a tiny smile on her face while she looked up at Dean. She had grasped his finger and he was moving it around to entertain her.

You smiled at what you were seeing. The hunting life didn’t exactly lend itself to family, but you knew by the way Dean was looking at your niece that one day, it could happen for you. Dean smiled, handing you the baby. You took her, a small tear running down your cheek.

“Everything okay, darlin’?” Dean asked, sitting next to you. He put an arm around you and you leaned into him.

“Yes, everything is perfect,” you said. You gave him a light kiss on the lips. Your parents, sister’s family, Cas, Sam and Dean—they were your family. It may have been unconventional, but you knew they were worth everything you had been through, and that you’d do it all again just to keep seeing their smiles. 

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I am working on my next story, and I will post the link here!


	31. New Story!

<http://archiveofourown.org/works/10320248/chapters/22817123>

 

Here is the link to my newest story. Would love for you to check it out, beautiful readers! Thanks!


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